It’s time for the annual Forbes.com list of the 13 top-earning DEAD celebrities. And once again this year, Michael Jackson is #1. He’s topped the list in 10 of the 12 years since his death in 2009. Here’s the top 5:
- Michael Jackson, $48 million. Dead since 2009. Even the documentary “Leaving Neverland” couldn’t stop Michael’s estate from raking in the dough.
- Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, $33 million. Dead since 1991. He’s up a little from previous years thanks to a series of TV and movie deals. Not to mention the fact that he’s STILL selling books . . . nearly six million in the U.S. this year.
- “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz, $32.5 million. Dead since 2000.
- Arnold Palmer, $25 million. Dead since 2016.
- Elvis Presley, $23 million. Dead since 1977 . . . or so some people would have you believe. (???) Elvis is down a little this year thanks to the coronavirus. Graceland was closed for two months, and it’s now operating at reduced capacity.