Grunge king Cobain usurps top-earning dead celeb crown
A new king of rock has knocked Elvis Presley off his throne atop Forbes magazine's annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities.
Former Nirvana frontman and grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain gained the crown for the first time, with his estate having earned $50 million US between October 2005 and October 2006, according to the Forbes.com list revealed on Tuesday.
Cobain's rise pushed rock 'n' roll legend Presley, who earned $42 million US, down to second place. Presley had topped the list since its inception six years ago.
According to Forbes, Cobain's top ranking was due to widow Courtney Love's decision to sell a 25 per cent stake of the Nirvana song catalog to New York music publishing company Primary Wave.
The company, "which paid a reported $50 million for its stake, has already struck a deal to feature Nirvana music in an episode of CSI: Miami. Now it is considering licensing the music to certain marketers," according to Forbes.
Listed at third place is Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz, whose estate made $35 million US in 2005from the popular comic strip's syndication in 2,400 newspapers worldwide and from licensing Snoopy, Charlie Brown and their friends for everything from T-shirts to stamps.
Altogether, Forbes named 13 iconic celebrities to the list, with the baker's dozen collectively earning $247 million US in the past six months. This year's list is:
- Kurt Cobain
- Elvis Presley
- Charles M. Schulz
- John Lennon
- Albert Einstein
- Andy Warhol
- Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss)
- Ray Charles
- Marilyn Monroe
- Johnny Cash
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- George Harrison
- Bob Marley
To compile the list, the magazine tallied how much a dead celebrity's estate made in the 12-month period. Typically, revenue comes from continuing sales (e.g. for Johnny Cash's recent posthumous album), new deals involving their work and rights to use their name or likeness on merchandise or in advertising campaigns.