Passed Celebrities Prove That Legends Never Die

Oprah Winfrey may be one of the richest celebrities alive right now, but some stars are proving that even the grave isn’t enough to stop the dough from rolling in.

Forbe’s annual list of the 13 top-earning celebrities who are no longer with us has been released, and the results are extraordinary! Here’s a run-down of what some of Hollywood’s most famous celebrities from the past are making. Please note that some of these numbers will shock you, but this just further proves the fact that a legend truly never dies.

1. Michael Jackson – The King Of Pop’s estate brought in $275 million alone, but even putting that number aside: record sales, licensing, merchandise and anything else Jackson-related added up to be more than any celebrity earning on this list alone.

2. Elvis Presley – $60 million is the rough number, which doesn’t even include a concert film featuring footage of his final days. What is included? Proceeds from records sold, the Cirque du Soleil show Viva Elvis, the dough taken in at Graceland and all other arenas where Elvis’ image is utilized.

3. J.R.R. Tolkien – $50 million, thanks to continued sales of Lord of the Rings books, movies and merchandise.

Other celebrities making the list include the popular cartoon Peanut’s creator Charles Schulz [$33 million], John Lennon [$17 million], Swedish author who influenced the upcoming sure-to-be-hit The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson [$15 million], Dr. Seuss [$11 million], Albert Einstein [$10 million], Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, [$8 million], composer Richard Rogers [$7 million], Jimi Hendrix and Steve McQueen [tied at $6 million], and Aaron Spelling [$5 million].

As you can clearly see, the list is full of talented stars we were all sad to see go. However, many once yearly mentioned names have slowly made their way off the list it seems. Is the Marilyn Monroe and James Dean fan-base dying out? Surely Marilyn was in my mind to make the list – what names are you surprised to not see listed?

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