The richest celebrities who continue to make money, even though they are already gone

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There are many criteria for real popularity, and one of them (perhaps one of the most important) is that a person is remembered even after death. Did you know that some of the celebrities who have gone to the world of another celebrity are not only remembered and loved, they also continue to earn money (moreover, considerable)? The popular edition of Forbes, by the way, keeps a kind of record and each year compiles a rating of the richest deceased celebrities. Let's find out who entered it.

1. Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

The pop king passed away almost 11 years ago, but fans around the world still cannot come to terms with this loss. And, I must say, being on the list of the dead, he continues to "make" millions in his name and annually topped the rating of the richest deceased stars. True, last year his fortune was replenished "only" by $ 60 million, because in 2018 he rescued $ 400 million. The singer's main income came from the sale of his songs, a contract with a record company and a show in Las Vegas. According to experts, the number of listening to the songs of the star in 2019 increased sharply - 2.1 billion versus 1.8 billion.

2. Elvis Presley (1935-1977)

Another king, but only of rock and roll, passed away more than 40 years ago, but rumors that his death was fake are still alive. Whether it is true or not, we will not argue, but let's talk about the fact that the name of the legendary singer still makes millions to his heirs. And it's not just Presley's songs that bring in revenue. The Graceland Estate, where Elvis once lived, is visited by over half a million people every year. By the way, in 2019 the singer "earned" $ 39 million.

3. Charles Schultz (1922-2000)

Caricaturists are rare guests in the ratings of deceased celebrities, mostly musicians and actors. But Charles Schultz is an exception. If this name is not familiar to you, then you probably cannot help but remember the cartoon dog Snoopy. So, it was thanks to the artist that this funny character appeared, who has been working for his creator for many years. Only through advertising contracts, using the image of a cute animal, Schultz "managed" to help out over the past year 38 million dollars.

4. Arnold Palmer (1929-2016)

During his lifetime, the legendary American golfer created an entire advertising empire around his name, the popularity of which has not diminished to this day. One of the sources of income is contracts for the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks bearing the Palmer name. $ 30 million is not bad income.

5. Bob Marley (1945-1981)

The songs of the reggae legend still do not lose their popularity - in the United States alone, the number of listens to songs in 2019 reached 1 billion. In addition, the House of Marley brand produces turntables, speakers and headphones using Bob's name. The fact that the singer's work is still in demand can be judged by the fact that Marley "earned" $ 20 million in just a year.

6. Dr. Seuss (1904-1991)

The creator of the Grinch, who stole Christmas, and the author of many popular children's stories, remains one of the most sought-after writers of our time. In the United States alone, 5 million copies of his books were sold last year. In addition, contracts with film studios, which are engaged in the adaptation of the writer's works, also bring income. Bottom line: $ 19 million in revenue from last year.

7. John Lennon (1940-1980)

The popularity of one of the "Beatles" not only does not subside, but only gets bigger. This can be judged by the fact that in the ranking of the richest deceased celebrities, Lennon rose three lines at once. Perhaps this is due to the fact that not so long ago the album "Abbey Road" with the legendary cover, where the members of the "Liverpool Four" are walking along the pedestrian crossing, celebrated its half-century anniversary. As a result, sales of the musician's personal catalog increased by 52%. All of this earned John $ 14 million.

8. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962)

When it comes to licensing, in this regard, there is no equal to the legendary blonde who managed to turn her face into a successful brand that brings multimillion-dollar revenues annually (in 2019, for example, $ 13 million). Chanel and Montblanc, as well as a collection of jewelry from Zales - and this is not the whole list of companies that use the image of the actress to promote their products.

9. Prince (1958-2016)

The legendary singer also continues to improve his positions every year, which in monetary terms brings a very good income. For example, last year his songs were listened to online half a billion times (which is 12% more than in 2018). In addition, sales of Prince's albums increased - 320 thousand copies. The musician's total revenue was $ 12 million.

10. Nipsey Hussle (1985-2019)

Despite the fact that the American rapper passed away only a year ago, a few months after his death, he was able to break into the top ten richest deceased celebrities. The musician turned out to be prudent and during his lifetime retained the rights to his songs. Perhaps the surge of interest in Hussle's work is associated with his sudden death. At least 1.85 billion streams paid off at the largest rate of all living and deceased celebrities. All this allowed Nipsey to become richer by $ 11 million.

11. XXXTentacion (1998-2018)

The popularity of another murdered rapper, compared to the previous year, has declined (demand has decreased by 27%). But, nevertheless, he remains the most listened to among all the deceased American celebrities - 5.6 billion. This allowed the guy, who was only 20 years old at the time of his death, to increase his income by $ 10 million.

12. Whitney Houston (1963-2012)

Debuting in the ranking of the richest deceased celebrities, the singer was helped by the fact that the rights to half of her creative heritage were sold last year. In addition, the remix of the Houston song Higher Love scored 175 million plays. As a result, Whitney "was able to earn" $ 9 million.

13. George Harrison (1943-2001)

Another member of the legendary band The Beatles also benefited from the re-release of his band's albums. In addition, the show in Las Vegas, dedicated to the work of the Beatles, brought in considerable income. $ 9 million - that's how much Harrison managed to "earn" against the backdrop of a surge in public interest.

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