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Their enactment lives on, and truthful bash the rewards.
So I came crossed this chaotic happening past week: there’s an existent database of the highest-paid deceased celebrities. Yep, radical who’ve passed distant are someway STILL cashing successful large each year. I couldn’t wrapper my caput astir it astatine first. How does that adjacent work? Who’s managing their money?
And starring this year’s database is nary different than Michael Jackson because, of course, helium is.
His biopic trailer conscionable dropped, Thriller is backmost successful the Billboard Hot 100 aft forty years, and his property is inactive pulling successful much currency than astir surviving artists.
After immoderate heavy digging, I yet get it, and honestly, it’s fascinating. Stick with me, this one’s WORTH knowing.
Let’s commencement with property management. When a personage passes away, managing their empire becomes a full-time job. Every song, photo, logo, and adjacent their look tin beryllium worthy millions, and idiosyncratic has to grip it all. That’s wherever executors oregon trustees travel in.
They’re the ones keeping the wealth flowing, the representation polished, and the marque alive. Whether it’s a lawyer, a household member, oregon a big-shot spot company, they power everything from royalties and trademarks to existent property and sanction rights.
Basically, they crook fame into a concern that keeps running, adjacent erstwhile the star’s agelong gone.
In MJ’s case, his kids are beneficiaries of a trust, Elvis’ property splits profits with a corporation, and Dr. Seuss’ goes partially to acquisition foundations.
And nary one’s property proves that amended than Michael Jackson’s. Most of his afterlife luck comes from the empire helium built portion helium was alive. Back successful 1985, helium dropped $47.5 cardinal (around $142 cardinal today) to bargain the ATV euphony catalog, location to astir 4,000 songs, including astir each Lennon–McCartney deed ever written.
Owning that catalog meant Jackson earned a chopped EVERY TIME 1 of those songs was played, covered, oregon utilized successful a movie, ad, oregon TV show—basically, helium was making wealth disconnected The Beatles, adjacent decades aft they split. It was 1 of the smartest (and astir lucrative) moves successful euphony history.
That 1 determination turned into a billion-dollar payout erstwhile Sony bought it successful 2016 for $750 million. And the wealth didn’t halt there; successful 2024, his property sold fractional of his ain euphony rights to Sony for different $600 million. Not everyone was connected committee with that woody (his ma adjacent tried to artifact it), but clearly, MJ’s concern instincts are inactive paying off.
So yeah, this full concern of making wealth aft decease is seemingly booming, and the numbers are honestly mind-blowing. These stars mightiness beryllium agelong gone, but their legacies are inactive hard astatine work. Here’s a look astatine the 13 celebrities who, whitethorn they remainder successful peace, are inactive bringing successful millions this year.
1. Michael Jackson - $105 million
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His euphony continues to beryllium his biggest moneymaker, but the remainder of the MJ instrumentality isn’t slowing down either. MJ: The Musical is playing successful aggregate cities, his Cirque du Soleil amusement successful Vegas conscionable deed 5,000 performances (and got extended to 2030), and a biopic starring his nephew Jaafar is acceptable to driblet successful April 2026.
2. Dr. Seuss - $85 million
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Dr. Seuss—yes, the antheral down The Cat successful the Hat—is inactive schooling everyone successful publication sales. In 2024, helium sold 4.8 cardinal copies successful the U.S., beating adjacent J.K. Rowling. His timeless characters similar the Grinch and the Cat proceed to rake successful large licensing money, and the Seuss empire is lone growing. The property teamed up with Netflix for 3 caller bid past year, a Warner Bros. animated Cat successful the Hat is acceptable for 2026, and a recently discovered manuscript, Sing the 50 United States, volition driblet adjacent summertime to people America’s 250th birthday.
3. Richard Wright - $81 million
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Pink Floyd’s founding keyboardist whitethorn person passed successful 2008, but his euphony is inactive paying the bills successful a large way. In 2024, Sony Music Publishing bought the band’s catalog and name, image, and likeness rights for $400 million. Wright’s property received an adjacent chopped of the deal, adding successful royalties from the songs helium co-wrote, and Wright’s bequest is inactive adding golden bricks to that wall.
4. Syd Barrett - $81 Million
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The archetypal Pink Floyd frontman and the caput down the band’s name, Syd Barrett, continues to gain decades aft his passing successful 2006. Thanks to the $400 cardinal catalog merchantability to Sony, Barrett’s property took location a large stock alongside the remainder of the band. With songwriting credits connected much than a twelve Pink Floyd tracks, his power and net are inactive shining bright.
5. The Notorious B.I.G. - $80 million
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As with astir gone-too-soon legends, The Notorious B.I.G. continues to determination superior merch decades aft his death. In March, his property sold 50% of his catalog, publishing, and sanction and likeness rights to Primary Wave Music, a woody that landed conscionable earlier the passing of his mother, Voletta Wallace, who had cautiously managed his bequest for years.
6. Miles Davis - $21 million
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With his 100th day coming up adjacent year, Miles Davis is backmost successful the spotlight and successful business. Reservoir Media conscionable bought a 90% involvement successful his property and is gearing up to instrumentality his bequest global. Live centennial concerts are already planned astatine large venues similar New York’s Lincoln Center, and Snowfall prima Damson Idris is acceptable to play the jazz icon successful an upcoming biopic.
7. Elvis Presley - $17 million
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Elvis Presley has been a regular connected the highest-paid deceased celebrities database since it archetypal began successful 2001, a coagulated 25-year streak that’s earned him much than $1.2 cardinal on the way. Last summer, things got weird erstwhile an individuality theft scam tried to merchantability disconnected Graceland, but it was rapidly unopen down earlier immoderate harm was done. Today, his granddaughter, histrion Riley Keough, runs the estate, which inactive owns Graceland and astir 15% of Elvis Presley Enterprises—the institution down the museum, merch, and each things Elvis. The remainder is handled by Authentic Brands Group, the aforesaid squad managing the legacies of Muhammad Ali and Marilyn Monroe.
8. Jimmy Buffett - $14 million
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Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville empire didn’t halt increasing aft his decease successful 2023, it’s present a full-blown manner marque spanning restaurants, resorts, apparel, and adjacent a cruise line. The concern was truthful monolithic that it pushed Buffett into billionaire territory posthumously. He near down 2 trusts: 1 for his kids and different for his wife, Jane, valued astatine astir $275 million.
9. Bob Marley - $13 million
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In June, Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay launched Bob Marley: Hope Road, a unrecorded amusement that runs 29 times a week and is expected to bring successful millions for his property successful concern with Primary Wave, which bought portion of Marley’s catalog successful 2018. While Universal Music Group owns astir of his masters, Marley’s property has built a concern astir his name, image, and likeness. Think coffee, speakers, fragrances, pillows, tote bags, posters, and of course, cannabis.
10. John Lennon - $12 million
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Coming to HBO connected November 14 is simply a caller documentary that dives into John Lennon’s lone full-length performance aft leaving The Beatles, a 1972 payment amusement astatine Madison Square Garden with Yoko Ono. Like astir projects celebrating euphony legends, it’s expected to springiness Lennon’s solo streams a superior boost. Ono inactive holds the rights to his solo catalog, portion Sony owns The Beatles’ music. And adjacent though the band’s Cirque du Soleil amusement successful Las Vegas wrapped up successful 2024, each subordinate of The Fab Four inactive earns astir $6 cardinal a twelvemonth from their sanction and image.
11. Prince - $11 million
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Prince’s property has been successful a standoff with Oscar-winning filmmaker Ezra Edelman, who spent 5 years creating a nine-hour Netflix documentary that mightiness ne'er spot the airy of day. Since Prince passed without a will, his $156 cardinal luck has been tangled successful nonstop ineligible battles betwixt household members and lawyers. With nary spouse oregon kids, the property went to his six half-siblings, and that’s wherever things truly got messy. Three sold their shares to euphony institution Primary Wave, which snapped up portion of his opus catalog past year, portion the different 3 held onto theirs and brought successful longtime Prince insider L. Londell McMillan and Charles Spicer to negociate them.
12. Arnold Palmer - $11 million
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Arnold Palmer’s legendary half-and-half, that premix of iced beverage and lemonade made with AriZona Beverages, mightiness person dipped a spot successful income implicit the past mates of years, but it’s inactive bringing successful plentifulness for Arnie’s Army. His household continues to negociate 2 of his pridefulness and joys, the Bay Hill Club successful Florida and the Latrobe Country Club successful Pennsylvania, wherever helium archetypal picked up a play nine and built his legacy.
13. Kobe Bryant - $10 million
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Kobe Bryant’s bequest is inactive dominating, this clip disconnected the court. Nike’s CFO shared earlier this twelvemonth that income of his show sneakers person astir quadrupled successful the past year, showing that the Black Mamba’s power hasn’t slowed down 1 bit. In 2022, Nike signed a semipermanent woody with his household to proceed his sub-brand, with a bid of caller shoes and apparel connected the way, including much than a twelve launches planned for 2025.
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