Dead Elvis Still King
No doubt about it--Elvis Presley is still the King when it comes to dead celebrities.
For the fifth consecutive year, the hip-swiveling, pelvis-thrusting crooner topped Forbes magazine's annual list of celebrities who rate the fattest paychecks from beyond the grave.
Presley's earnings over the past year totaled a hefty $45 million dollars some 28 years after his death in 1977 of a heart attack at age 42.
Some of that moola was generated by Lisa Marie Presley's sale of the bulk of her father's estate to SFX Entertainment founder Robert F. X. Sillerman last December, in a deal worth close to $100 million.
Trailing Presley in second place was Charlie Brown creator Charles Schulz, who died in 2000, but still managed to rake in $35 million over the past year. In third place was John Lennon, who earned $22 million, 25 years after his murder.
Eccentric artist Andy Warhol, who died in 1987 of complications after a gall bladder operation, was Forbes' fourth richest dead celeb, amassing earnings of $16 million, thanks to a bevy of deals handled by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. In addition to selling several of Warhol's paintings, the foundation signed off on a Warhol line of tote bags, paperweights and eye masks from accessories manufacturer Loop.
In fifth place was Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, whose children's classics such as Hop on Pop and Green Eggs and Ham, brought in $10 million, 14 years after the author's death in 1991. Marlon Brando, who died in 2004 at age 80, wound up in sixth place, raking in $9 million.
Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962, tied for seventh place with Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in 1973. Both celebs raked in a tidy $8 million.
Cementing his status as second-most successful dead Beatle was George Harrison, who wound up in ninth place with a yearly take of $7 million.
Making the list for the first time were Johnny Cash, who landed at 10th place with earnings of $7 million and Ray Charles, who came in at number 13 with earnings of $6 million.
Here's a complete rundown of Forbes magazine's "Lucky 13:"
1. Elvis Presley, $45 million
2. Charles M. Schulz, $35 million
3. John Lennon, $22 million
4. Andy Warhol, $16 million
5. Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, $10 million
6. Marlon Brando, $9 million
7. Marilyn Monroe, $8 million
8. J.R.R. Tolkien, $8 million
9. George Harrison, $7 million
10. Johnny Cash, $7 million
11. Irving Berlin, $7 million
12. Bob Marley, $6 million
13. Ray Charles, $6 million
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