Elvis tops chart for dead celebrity money-makers
Elvis is once again king of the Forbes list of top-earning dead celebrities.
After a single year in which Kurt Cobain moved into the No. 1 position, Elvis Presley went on to earn $49 million US last year, enough to move him back to the top of the chart.
Cobain's supremacy was a flash in the pan, caused by his widow Courtney Love selling his song catalogue for a reported $50 million US.
This year Elvis's old home, Graceland, went from strength to strength as fans commemorated the 30th anniversary of his death.
Graceland earnings were up 15 per cent and a massive overhaul will see the Memphis shrine add a hotel convention centre and state-of-the-art museum, Forbes reported.
John Lennon has also moved up the dead celebrities list, taking the No. 2 spot after his Apple recording company resolved its dispute with theApple computer company.
That opened the way for Lennon's music, and all the solo music of the former Beatles, to go online. Lennon is estimated to have earned $44 million US, with George Harrison, who earned $22 million, taking the No. 4 spot.
Cirque du Soleil's creation of the Love show, based on Beatles music, and an upcoming show to be based on Presley's music have also boosted earnings for the two top-earning dead celebrities.
Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz is No. 3, in part because the cartoon is still in syndication and because ofroyalties earned from You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
Other top-earning celebrities on the list:
- Albert Einstein ($18 million).
- Andy Warhol ($15 million).
- Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) ($13 million).
- Tupac Shakur ($9 million).
- Marilyn Monroe ($7 million).
- Steve McQueen ($6 million).
- James Brown ($5 million).
- Bob Marley ($4 million).
- James Dean ($3.5 million).
McQueen, who died of cancer in 1980, is on the list for the first time as the 40th anniversary of the classic film Bullitt approaches in 2008.
In August, auction house Christie's sold the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta Lusso that McQueen once owned for $2.3 million.