Biography & Early Wealth Journey
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Michael Jackson made $777 million more than the second-highest earning dead celebrity.
This past year has been harsh when it comes to celebrities dropping like flies. Prince, who died in April and David Bowie, who died in January also made the list of top earning dead celebrities. This is likely due to a nostalgic uptick in sales of their music catalogs as a result of their untimely deaths. It will be interesting to see where these two beloved musicians will rank on next year's list.
Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts
Prince landed at number five on the list of top earning dead celebrities with $25 million. Prince's earnings could rise next year when his Paisley Park estate opens to the public as a museum to the late, great, purple one.
Ziggy Stardust, a/k/a David Bowie also made the list for the year of his death. His 2016 income of $10.5 million landed him in the eleventh spot. His final album, "Blackstar," debuted just two days before his death on January 10th.
Other top earners include Snoopy creator Charles Schulz, recently deceased golf legend Arnold Palmer, Dr. Seuss, and, of course, Elvis.
Top-earning dead celebrities 2016
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#13. Elizabeth Taylor – $8 million
#12. Steve McQueen – $9 million
#11. David Bowie – $10.5 million
#10. Bettie Page – $11 million
Wealth Trajectory & Future Earnings Projections
#9. Albert Einstein – $11.5 million
#8. John Lennon – $12 million
#7. Theodor "Dr Seuss" Geisel – $20 million
#6. Bob Marley – $21 million
#5. Prince – $25 million
#4. Elvis Presley – $27 million
#3. Arnold Palmer – $40 million
#2. Charles Schulz – $48 million
#1. Michael Jackson – $825 million