These famous faces lost their lives on October 31
Whenever we talk about what makes an artist truly great, people often refer to their posthumous success. Most of the time, they are referring to the artist's work itself, which of course can live on even after their death. Less common, however, is to discuss the money that celebrities continue to make, even once they are no longer with us.
Each year, Forbes magazine looks at the pretax earnings of late celebrities from the period October 1 to September 30. The aim is to work out who has the highest annual income, despite no longer being alive. Some celebrities make the list of highest earners year in, year out, while others only ever appear once.
Check out this gallery to find out which celebrities are on the list for 2024.
In thirteenth place, we have Whitney Houston, who died so tragically back in 2012. Her annual earnings for this period were US$13 million.
Strangely enough, a lot of this income is said to be generated by Whitney-branded slot machines in Las Vegas that play her music and videos.
While he was alive, Arnold Palmer found success as a golfer. In death, however, he makes his money selling ice tea and lemonade drinks.
What started as a homemade drink to which Palmer himself was partial is now produced by AriZona. Around 500 million cans are sold annually, and in 2024 the late Palmer earned around US$14 million.
In 2024, the "hardest working man in show business" is estimated to have earned US$15 million with his intellectual property. He died of heart failure in 2006.
Going forward, Primary Wave intends to boost Brown's posthumous earnings by turning his former home into a tourist attraction.
Ever since he died in 1980, the former Beatle, John Lennon, has been making money from his music. In 2024 he is estimated to have made $US17 million.
Part of those earnings came from the restoration of a 1978 demo tape by director Peter Jackson that Lennon was unable to finish before his death in 1980.
When the former 'Friends' actor, Matthew Perry, died of a ketamine overdose in October 2023, many were left with strong feelings of shock and grief.
Since his death, he continues to make money from his 2022 memoir, 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,' as well as collecting an annual US$17 million in 'Friends' royalties.
Although he's not necessarily a household name, the characters he created certainly are. Charles M. Schulz was the cartoonist behind Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
With TikTok igniting Gen Z's interest in the franchise, Schulz earned another US$30 million in 2024, thanks to brand collaborations and streaming.
The legend that is Bob Marley comes in at number seven on the list, with an estimated US$34 million in catalog royalties and other 'big brand business' revenue streams.
The year 2024 also brought a spike in the former reggae artist's earnings, thanks to the release of the biopic, 'Bob Marley: One Love.'
The iconic artist behind 'Purple Rain,' Prince continues to rake in millions every year from his masters, including the 'Purple Rain' album.
In 2024 he is estimated to have made US$35 million, thanks to income from his music, as well as revenues from his name, image, likeness, and visits to his home, Paisley Park.
Next up we have Ric Ocasek, former frontman of The Cars, who earned US$45 million in 2024 thanks to a deal with Primary Wave.
As a result of the September deal, the company acquired a stake in the late artist's publishing, name, image, and likeness rights for a hefty sum.
Coming in hot at number four is Elvis Presley, who has estimated earnings of US$50 million for 2024. Again, he has multiple sources of income.
On the one hand, he continues to collect royalties from licensing and music streaming. On the other hand, his home in Memphis, Graceland, also makes money.
According to Presley's family representatives, Graceland welcomed 600,000 visitors in the past year. All this despite a fraudster's efforts to auction it off illegally!
The beloved children's author, Theodor Seuss Giesel (or Dr. Seuss to you and me), continues to collect royalties as his timeless characters are introduced to new generations of kids.
The creative legend continues to sell books from the beyond, and at the same time, he makes money with licensing for theme parks, TV, movies, and apparel.
Taking into account all his various sources of income, Dr. Seuss is estimated to have raked in US$75 million in 2024. This brings him in at number three on the list.
Next up we have the formidable Freddie Mercury, who re-joins the list after a four-year hiatus. The former Queen front man earned an estimated US$250 million in 2024.
These US$250 million are Mercury's part of the US$1 billion catalog sale that Queen made to Sony in June. According to Forbes, this was the most expensive acquisition of a single artist's catalog ever made.
According to a source with close knowledge of the deal, the proceeds from the transaction were split equally four ways between the band's late front man and the remaining living band members.
The King of Pop tops the list in 2024, largely thanks to a catalog sale of his publishing and recorded masters' rights to Sony. The value of the deal was US$600 million.
The lucrative deal finally went through, despite protestations from the late musician's mother. At the same time, he continues to collect earnings from his touring musical productions.
According to Forbes, Michael Jackson has pulled in US$600 million in 2024, and in total he has earned an eye-watering US$3.3 billion since his death in 2009.
Sources: (Forbes)
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CELEBRITY Earnings
Whenever we talk about what makes an artist truly great, people often refer to their posthumous success. Most of the time, they are referring to the artist's work itself, which of course can live on even after their death. Less common, however, is to discuss the money that celebrities continue to make, even once they are no longer with us.
Each year, Forbes magazine looks at the pretax earnings of late celebrities from the period October 1 to September 30. The aim is to work out who has the highest annual income, despite no longer being alive. Some celebrities make the list of highest earners year in, year out, while others only ever appear once.
Check out this gallery to find out which celebrities are on the list for 2024.