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Elvis: The King of Dead Celebs
Thanks to album sales topping the 100-million mark and unrelenting devotion from his fans, the King has landed at number one on Forbes magazine's list of the top-earning dead celebrities.
Presley posthumously raked in $37 million from June 2001 to June 2002, topping Peanuts creator Charles Schulz (who was number two with $28 million), as well as late Beatle John Lennon and race-car driver Dale Earnhardt, whose earnings were listed at $20 million apiece.
For its beyond-the-grave investigation, Forbes examined pretax earnings from celebrities' licensing agreements, not to mention book and record sales, over just the past year. What they discovered is that late rapper Tupac Shakur earned $7 million last year, $2 million more than Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia (though, to be fair, Tupac has released more albums dead than alive). And author J.R.R. Tolkien's estate made a modest profit from the mega-success of Lord of the Rings ($12 million, by Forbes' estimate).
For Presley, the rock 'n' roll legend's earnings were boosted by the recently remixed and released version of "A Little Less Conversation," which was introduced in a Nike ad and became a number one hit in Britain and the U.S. The single reportedly earned $4 million for Presley's estate.
A new four-CD box set, Elvis: Today, Tomorrow & Forever, has just been released and a greatest-hits CD is due out next month and should further boost Presley's album sales. Not that he needs help: The Recording Industry Association of America just announced that Presley has surpassed the 100-million album sales mark, putting him in second place all-time behind only the Beatles.
For more on the man who would be King, E! is presenting a series of True Hollywood Story and Rank programs to mark the 25th anniversary of Presley's death August 16.
Here's a complete list of Forbes' top-earning dead celebrities:
1. Elvis Presley, $37 million
2. Charles Schulz, $28 million
3. John Lennon, $20 million
4. Dale Earnhardt, $20 million
5. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, $19 million
6. George Harrison, $17 million
7. J.R.R. Tolkien, $12 million
8. Bob Marley, $10 million
9. Jimi Hendrix, $8 million
10. Tupac Shakur, $7 million
11. Marilyn Monroe, $7 million
12. Jerry Garcia, $5 million
13. Robert Ludlum, $5 million
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