Forbes list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities

This is a list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities as ranked by Forbes magazine since October 2001.

Michael Jackson earned $825 million in 2016, the highest earnings for a celebrity dead or alive in any year. Since his death in mid-2009, he has topped the list every year except for 2009, 2012, and 2021–22.

2024 list

The 2024 list:^[1]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide	$600 million
2	Freddie Mercury		United Kingdom	AIDS	$250 million
3	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$75 million
4	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$50 million
5	Ric Ocasek	Musician		Heart disease	$45 million
6	Prince	Musician		Overdose	$35 million
7	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$34 million
8	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist	United States	Cancer	$30 million
9	Matthew Perry	Actor		Overdose	$18 million
10	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$17 million
11	James Brown	Musician	United States	Heart failure	$15 million
12	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$14 million
13	Whitney Houston	Musician		Drowning	$13 million

2023 list

The 2023 list:^[2]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide	$115 million
2	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$100 million
3	Ray Manzarek	Musician		Cancer	$45 million
4	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$40 million
5	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$30 million
6	Prince	Musician		Overdose	$30 million
7	Whitney Houston	Musician		Drowning	$30 million
8	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$22 million
9	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$16 million
10	Bing Crosby	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$14 million
11	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom	Cancer	$14 million
12	Arnold Palmer	Athlete	United States	Heart disease	$10 million
13	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$10 million

2022 list

The 2022 list:^[3]

J.R.R. Tolkien earned $500 million from the sale of Middle-Earth Enterprises.^[3]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$500 million
2	Kobe Bryant	Athlete	United States	Helicopter crash	$400 million
3	David Bowie	Musician	United Kingdom	Cancer	$250 million
4	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$110 million
5	James Brown	Musician		Heart failure	$100 million
6	Michael Jackson	Musician		Overdose/homicide[4]	$75 million
7	Leonard Cohen	Musician	Canada	Fatal fall	$55 million
8	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$32 million
9	Jeff Porcaro	Musician		Heart attack	$25 million
10	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$24 million
11	Juan Gabriel	Musician	Mexico	Heart attack	$23 million
12	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$16 million
13	George Harrison	Musician		Cancer	$12 million

2021 list

The 2021 list:^[5]

Netflix announced the acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the rights to Roald Dahl's stories and characters, for a fee of $684 million (£500m). Dahl's heirs held at least a 75% stake before the company was acquired.^[5]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Roald Dahl	Author	United Kingdom	Cancer	$513 million
2	Prince	Musician	United States	Overdose	$120 million
3	Michael Jackson			Overdose/homicide[4]	$75 million
4	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$40 million
5	Dr. Seuss	Author			$35 million
6	Bing Crosby	Musician		Heart attack	$33 million
7	Elvis Presley				$30 million
8	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$27 million
9	Gerry Goffin	Lyricist		Natural causes	$23 million
10	Luther Vandross	Musician		Stroke	$21 million
11	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$16 million
12	Juice Wrld		United States	Accidental overdose	$15 million
13	John Lennon		United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million

2020 list

The 2020 list:^[6]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$48 million
2	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$33 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist			$32.5 million
4	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$25 million
5	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$23 million
6	Kobe Bryant	Athlete		Helicopter crash	$20 million
7	Juice Wrld	Musician		Overdose	$15 million
8	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$14 million
9	John Lennon		United Kingdom	Homicide	$13 million
10	Prince		United States	Overdose	$10 million
11	Freddie Mercury		United Kingdom	AIDS	$9 million
12	George Harrison			Cancer	$8.5 million
13	Marilyn Monroe	Actor	United States	Overdose	$8 million

2019 list

The 2019 list:^[7]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$60 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$39 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$38 million
4	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$30 million
5	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$20 million
6	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States		$19 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$14 million
8	Marilyn Monroe	Actor	United States	Overdose	$13 million
9	Prince	Musician	United States		$12 million
10	Nipsey Hussle			Homicide	$11 million
11	XXXTentacion				$10 million
12	Whitney Houston			Drowning	$9.5 million
13	George Harrison		United Kingdom	Cancer	$9 million

2018 list

The 2018 list:^[8][9]

Michael Jackson brought in $287 million from the sale of his estate's stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing to Sony.^[10]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$400 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$40 million
3	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$35 million
4	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$34 million
5	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica		$23 million
6	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States		$16 million
7	Hugh Hefner	Personality		Sepsis	$15 million
8	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$14 million
9	Prince	Musician		Overdose	$13 million
10	John Lennon		United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
11	XXXTentacion		United States		$11 million
12	Muhammad Ali	Athlete		Septic shock	$8 million
13	Bettie Page	Model		Heart attack	$7 million

2017 list

The 2017 list:^[11][12]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$75 million
2	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$40 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$38 million
4	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$35 million
5	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$23 million
6	Tom Petty		United States	Overdose	$20 million
7	Prince				$18 million
8	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$16 million
9	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
10	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$10 million
11	David Bowie	Musician	United Kingdom	Cancer	$9.5 million
12	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor		Heart failure	$8 million
13	Bettie Page	Model	United States	Heart attack	$7.5 million

2016 list

The 2016 list:^[13]

Michael Jackson had the largest annual gain for an entertainer, living or dead, due to the $750 million sale of his half of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalogue.

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$825 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$48 million
3	Arnold Palmer	Athlete		Heart disease	$40 million
4	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$27 million
5	Prince			Overdose	$25 million
6	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$21 million
7	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States		$20 million
8	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
9	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$11.5 million
10	Bettie Page	Model	United States	Heart attack	$11 million
11	David Bowie	Musician	United Kingdom	Cancer	$10.5 million
12	Steve McQueen	Actor	United States	Heart attack	$9 million
13	Elizabeth Taylor		United Kingdom	Heart failure	$8 million

2015 list

The 2015 list:^[14]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$115 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$55 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$40 million
4	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica		$21 million
5	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor	United Kingdom	Heart failure	$20 million
6	Marilyn Monroe		United States	Overdose	$17 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
8	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$11 million
9	Bettie Page	Model	United States	Heart attack	$10 million
10	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$9.5 million
11	Steve McQueen	Actor		Heart attack	$9 million
12	Paul Walker			Car crash	$8.5 million
	James Dean

2014 list

The 2014 list:^[15]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$140 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$55 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$40 million
4	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor	United Kingdom	Heart failure	$25 million
	Paul Walker		United States	Car crash
6	Marilyn Monroe			Overdose	$17 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
8	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$11 million
9	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$9 million
	Bruce Lee	Actor		Cerebral edema
	Steve McQueen			Cancer
	Bettie Page	Model		Heart attack
13	James Dean	Actor		Car crash	$7 million

2013 list

The 2013 list:^[16]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$160 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$55 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$37 million
4	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor	United Kingdom	Heart failure	$25 million
5	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$17 million
6	Marilyn Monroe	Actor	United States	Overdose	$15 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
8	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$10 million
	Bettie Page	Model	United States	Heart attack
10	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$9 million
	Steve McQueen	Actor		Heart attack
12	Bruce Lee			Cerebral edema	$7 million

2012 list

Elizabeth Taylor earned $219 million in 2012.

The 2012 list:^[17]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor	United Kingdom	Heart failure	$210 million
2	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$145 million
3	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$55 million
4	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$37 million
5	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica		$17 million
6	John Lennon		United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
7	Marilyn Monroe	Actor	United States	Overdose	$10 million
	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm
9	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$9 million
10	Steve McQueen	Actor		Heart attack	$8 million
	Bettie Page	Model
12	Richard Rodgers	Composer		Cancer	$6 million
13	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom		$5.5 million

2011 list

The 2011 list:^[18]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$170 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$55 million
3	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$27 million
4	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$25 million
5	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$12 million
	Elizabeth Taylor	Actor		Heart failure
7	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$10 million
8	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$9 million
9	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose	$7 million
	Stieg Larsson	Author	Sweden	Heart attack
	Steve McQueen	Actor	United States
	Richard Rodgers	Composer		Cancer
13	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom		$6 million
	Bettie Page	Model	United States	Heart attack
	Andy Warhol	Artist		Arrhythmia

2010 list

The 2010 list:^[19]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Michael Jackson	Musician	United States	Overdose/homicide[4]	$275 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$60 million
3	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$50 million
4	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist	United States	Cancer	$33 million
5	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$17 million
6	Stieg Larsson	Author	Sweden	Heart attack	$15 million
7	Dr. Seuss		United States	Cancer	$11 million
8	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$10 million
9	George Steinbrenner	Businessperson	United States	Heart attack	$8 million
10	Richard Rodgers	Composer		Cancer	$7 million
11	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose	$6 million
	Steve McQueen	Actor		Heart attack
13	Aaron Spelling	Film producer		Stroke	$5 million

2009 list

The 2009 list:^[20][21]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Yves Saint Laurent	Fashion designer	France	Cancer	$350 million
2	Richard Rodgers	Composer	United States		$235 million
	Oscar Hammerstein	Lyricist
3	Michael Jackson	Musician		Overdose/homicide[4]	$90 million
4	Elvis Presley	Musician		Heart attack	$55 million
5	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$50 million
6	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist	United States	Cancer	$35 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$15 million
	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer
9	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$10 million
10	Michael Crichton	Author	United States	Cancer	$9 million
11	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose	$8 million
	Aaron Spelling	Film producer		Stroke
13	Andy Warhol	Artist		Arrhythmia	$6 million

2008 list

Elvis Presley earned $52 million in 2008.

The 2008 list:^[22]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$52 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist	United States	Cancer	$33 million
3	Heath Ledger	Actor	Australia	Overdose	$20 million
4	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$18 million
5	Aaron Spelling	Film producer	United States	Stroke	$15 million
6	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$12 million
7	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$9 million
	Andy Warhol	Artist	United States	Arrhythmia
9	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$6.5 million
10	Steve McQueen			Heart attack	$6 million
11	Paul Newman			Cancer	$5 million
	James Dean			Car crash
13	Marvin Gaye	Musician		Homicide	$3.5 million

2007 list

The 2007 list:^[23]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$49 million
2	John Lennon		United Kingdom	Homicide	$44 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist	United States	Cancer	$35 million
4	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom		$22 million
5	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$18 million
6	Andy Warhol	Artist	United States	Arrhythmia	$15 million
7	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$13 million
8	Tupac Shakur	Musician		Homicide	$9 million
9	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$7 million
10	Steve McQueen			Heart attack	$6 million
11	James Brown	Musician		Heart failure	$5 million
12	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$4 million
13	James Dean	Actor	United States	Car crash	$3.5 million

2006 list

Kurt Cobain earned $50 million in 2006, after the sale of the Nirvana song catalogue.

The 2006 list:^[24]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Kurt Cobain	Musician	United States	Suicide	$50 million
2	Elvis Presley			Heart attack	$42 million
3	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$35 million
4	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$24 million
5	Albert Einstein	Scientist	Germany	Aneurysm	$20 million
6	Andy Warhol	Artist	United States	Arrhythmia	$19 million
7	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$10 million
	Ray Charles	Musician		Liver failure
9	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$8 million
10	Johnny Cash	Musician		Diabetes	$8 million
11	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$7 million
	George Harrison	Musician		Cancer
	Bob Marley		Jamaica

2005 list

The 2005 list:^[25]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$45 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$35 million
3	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$22 million
4	Andy Warhol	Artist	United States	Arrhythmia	$16 million
5	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$10 million
6	Marlon Brando	Actor		Respiratory failure	$9 million
7	Marilyn Monroe			Overdose	$8 million
	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia
9	George Harrison	Musician		Cancer	$7 million
	Johnny Cash		United States	Diabetes
	Irving Berlin	Composer		Heart attack
12	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$6 million
	Ray Charles		United States	Liver failure

2004 list

The 2004 list:^[26]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$40 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$35 million
3	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$23 million
4	John Lennon	Musician		Homicide	$21 million
5	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$18 million
6	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose	$8 million
7	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom	Cancer	$7 million
	Irving Berlin	Composer	United States	Heart attack
	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer
10	Richard Rodgers	Composer	United States		$6.5 million
11	George Gershwin				$6 million
	Ira Gershwin	Lyricist		Heart disease
	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose
	Alan Jay Lerner	Lyricist		Cancer
	Frederick Loewe	Composer		Heart attack
	Cole Porter			Kidney failure
17	James Dean	Actor		Car crash	$5 million
	Dale Earnhardt	Athlete
	Jerry Garcia	Musician		Heart attack
	Freddie Mercury		United Kingdom	AIDS
	Tupac Shakur		United States	Homicide
	Frank Sinatra			Heart attack

2003 list

The 2003 list:^[27]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$40 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$32 million
3	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$22 million
4	John Lennon	Musician		Homicide	$19 million
5	George Harrison			Cancer	$16 million
6	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States
7	Dale Earnhardt	Athlete		Car crash	$15 million
8	Tupac Shakur	Musician		Homicide	$12 million
9	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer	$9 million
10	Marilyn Monroe	Actor	United States	Overdose	$8 million
11	Frank Sinatra	Musician		Heart attack	$7 million
12	Richard Rodgers	Composer		Cancer
13	Oscar Hammerstein	Songwriter
14	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose
15	Cole Porter	Composer		Kidney failure	$6 million
16	Irving Berlin			Heart attack
17	Robert Atkins	Doctor	United Kingdom	Head trauma
18	James Dean	Actor	United States	Car crash	$5 million
19	Jerry Garcia	Musician		Heart attack

2002 list

The 2002 list:^[28]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$37 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$28 million
3	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide	$20 million
	Dale Earnhardt	Athlete	United States	Car crash
5	Dr. Seuss	Author		Cancer	$19 million
6	George Harrison	Musician	United Kingdom		$17 million
7	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$12 million
8	Bob Marley	Musician	Jamaica	Cancer	$10 million
9	Jimi Hendrix		United States	Overdose	$8 million
10	Tupac Shakur			Homicide	$7 million
	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose
12	Jerry Garcia	Musician		Heart attack	$5 million
	Robert Ludlum	Author

2001 list

The 2001 list:^[29]

Rank	Name	Career	Nation	Cause of Death	Earnings
1	Elvis Presley	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$35 million
2	Charles Schulz	Cartoonist		Cancer	$20 million
	John Lennon	Musician	United Kingdom	Homicide
4	Dr. Seuss	Author	United States	Cancer	$17 million
5	Jimi Hendrix	Musician		Overdose	$10 million
	Bob Marley		Jamaica	Cancer
7	Andy Warhol	Artist	United States	Arrhythmia	$8 million
8	J. R. R. Tolkien	Author	United Kingdom	Pneumonia	$7 million
9	Frank Sinatra	Musician	United States	Heart attack	$6 million
10	Jerry Garcia				$5 million
11	Keith Haring	Artist		AIDS	$4 million
	Marilyn Monroe	Actor		Overdose
13	James Dean			Car crash	$3 million