*Eight years following his sudden death, Michael Jackson’s money shows no signs of slowing down.
The King of Pop tops Forbes annual list of top-earning dead celebrities for the fifth straight year, with the estate raking in roughly $75 million, driven by a new greatest hits album, the Las Vegas Cirque du Soleil show and its stake in the EMI music publishing catalog.
The total pales in comparison to his monster haul of $825 million last year — the highest annual tally for any entertainer dead or alive — which was primarily due to the $750 million sale of Jackson’s half of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog, the biggest in the world.
Elsewhere on the list, Bob Marley ranks fifth with $23 million, boosted by House of Marley audio products and the Marley Beverage Co. Also Prince — who died last year without a will and whose assets have yet to be seriously tapped — came in at No. 7 with $18 million.
The list measures pretax income from October 15, 2016 through October 15, 2017 before deducting cuts for agents, managers and lawyers. Sources include Nielsen SoundScan, IMDB, Pollstar Pro and interviews with celebrity estate experts.
Golf legend Arnold Palmer is second with $40 million (largely through sales of Arizona lemonade and the iced tea bearing his name) and third is Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts cartoon franchise, with $38 million.
Tom Petty, who passed away just days before the eligibility period ended, came in at No. 6 with $20 million, while David Bowie, who died in January of 2016, was No. 11 with $9.5 million.
View the Top Ten below:
1. Michael Jackson $75 million
2. Arnold Palmer $40 million
3. Charles Schulz $38 million
4. Elvis Presley $35 million
5. Bob Marley $23 million
6. Tom Petty $20 million
7. Prince $18 million
8. Dr. Suess $16 million
9. John Lennon $12 million
10. Albert Einstein $10 million
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