Elvis, Charles Schulz, Bob Marley and Liz Taylor complete the top five.
Forbes has revealed its highest earning dead celebrities listing for 2015, with a number of famous faces who continue to adorn licensed merchandise being featured, some long after their deaths.
Michael Jackson – who died in 2009 – tops the list with $115 million. The King of Pop has earned nine figures every full year since his death. A key driver for 2015 has been the Cirque de Soleil show Michael Jackson One in Las Vegas, as well as continued music sales.
Elvis Presley was second with $55 million – as well as a full licensing programme, Graceland ticket sales also continue to boost the coffers.
Perhaps most notable from a licensing point of view is the inclusion of Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz at number three with $40 million. Much of this comes from his cut of licensing revenue of the brand, which will be boosted even further with the launch of The Peanuts Movie later this year.
Steven Marotta, an analyst at CL King & Associates, which tracks Peanuts’ parent company Iconix, told Forbes: “The marketing of the film is boosting awareness for the Peanuts brand. That, coupled with their international sway, (about two thirds of Peanuts revenue comes from overseas), means Peanuts is set to grow.”
Reggae legend Bob Marley is at number four ($21 million) – as well as his music, key contributions come from the Marley Beverage Company (which makes Marley’s Mellow Mood) and House of Marley (makers of eco-friendly audio and lifestyle products).
Elsewhere, Albert Einstein earned $11 million, thanks to branded merchandise including apparel, posters and tablets.
“Einstein has a very large cult-like following from the nerd-science community,” offered Kevin Connelly, director of rights representation at Corbis Entertainment, which represents the Einstein brand.
To compile the listing, Forbes looked at pre-tax earnings from October 1 2014 to October 1 2015. It included income from record sales, music publishing, film residuals, licensing and other ventures.
