Even after death, celebrities rake in millions, and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent surpassed the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, to be named the top-earning dead celebrity, according to the list of top-earning dead celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine.
In its ninth annual list, Forbes.com reported the Frenchman, considered one of the greatest designers of the 20th century and who died in 2008, came out on top with earnings of US$350 million.
Composers Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein came in second on the 2009 list with US$235 million, and the recently deceased King of Pop Jackson ranked third at US$90 million.
But Jackson is likely to be a big earner for years to come while Saint Laurent, who made the list for the first time this year, may have difficulty repeating the 2009 performance.
“Saint Laurent had a massive estate sale, which brought in US$350 million. Michael Jackson has only made US$90 million since his death in June,” said Forbes Senior Editor Matt Miller, who is also the editor of the dead celebrities list.
“Michael Jackson will make tens of millions of dollars a year because he has lucrative publishing rights, rights to all his memorabilia. There’s still profits to be made from the movie which comes out tomorrow.”
The Michael Jackson movie This is It hits theatres around the world on October 28. It is based on his rehearsals for a series of London concerts.
The other “King,” Elvis Presley, was fourth on the list with US$55 million.
The ranking assesses the earning power of deceased celebrities, including musicians, authors, actors, and songwriters, among others.
Two names that unexpectedly did not make this year’s list were Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
“Both have similar incomes to last year. In fact Marilyn Monroe made more money this year versus last year,” said Miller. “However, because of all the new people on the list like Yves Saint Laurent they weren’t able to keep up.”
The full list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities can be found at: www.forbes.com/deadcelebs.
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