Zack Walkter

Celebrities make a lot of money—that's part of the glamor of the celebrity lifestyle. And some of them reach such incredible heights of fame that even in death their money-making abilities barely slow down at all. In some cases they even supersede the living. Thanks to Forbes' annual Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list, we know all about the celebrities who've managed to maintain fortunes well past the end of their lives. 1. Elvis With earnings of $55 million this past year, Elvis is doing pretty well for a guy who died nearly 40 years ago. Much of his income comes from ticket sales at Graceland, which is a testament to the King's popularity, but he's still doing well in album sales as well, and in fact released his 53rd Top 40 song in August 2015, a compilation released by the US Postal Service. 2. Marilyn Monroe Speaking of jaw-dropping beauty, this blonde takes the cake. She was the hottest thing ever, popularizing the sexy, breathy voice and singlehandedly launching the debut of Playboy Magazine. The platinum locks that made her famous were actually fake, just like her name. The brunette Norma Jean Mortenson began modeling with big dreams. In 1946 she changed her name, signed with 20th Century Fox, and was molded, and arguably exploited by the male-dominated Hollywood machine. Elton John captured the sentiment of her fame and its effects on her mental health in the legendary song Candle in the Wind. 3. Paul Newman Here’s an actor who had great onscreen swagger in films like Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Color of Money, but he is often left out amongst late greats like Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable and Gregory Peck. Paul Newman was in a generation in-between those guys and the modern day and often gets forgotten when credit is due. Not only was he a great actor, he was also an Indy racecar driver, environmentalist, and arguably the biggest Hollywood philanthropist ever. Charitable donations via his Newman’s Own food label have surpassed 450 million dollars. 4. Bob Marley Mr. Marley has done well for himself in the afterlife owing to several revenue streams. Last year Marley made $21 million from the 75 million albums he's sold, the Marley Beverage company, which sells tea- and coffee-based beverages, and House of Marley, which mostly makes headphones and speakers. Not a bad haul for a guy who wasn't really big on business during his lifetime 5. Michael Jackson The King of Pop was on top of the world once, but had a pretty rough go towards the end. Haunted by creepy allegations about minors sleeping in his bed and drinking from Coke cans that were actually full of wine. His face had turned into a plastic surgery fail of epic proportions. His children were caught up in strange custody battles, and he hadn’t had a billboard topper in decades. But leave it to death to wipe the slate clean. All earthly misdeeds were forgiven, and everyone remembered what they loved about him. Michael Jackson was the top earning dead celeb in 2015, and may be for years to come, having earned a posthumous billion. 6. Bruce Lee Here’s a guy that changed the film industry forever by popularizing martial arts and opening doors for Asians in Hollywood. Born in San Francisco, Bruce Lee split his time between the Bay Area, Hollywood and Hong Kong. Films like Enter the Dragon and Game of Death are well known, but what few people know are details of his death. While perfectly fit, and just 32 years old, Lee succumbed to brain edema, or death due to sudden enlargement of the brain. His official autopsy report declared “death by misadventure.” Conspiracy theories have circled ever since, claiming everything from allergic reaction to painkillers to a curse made by the Triad Family, which could explain the untimely death of his son Brandon Lee years later. 7. Paul Walker Paul Walker's untimely death during the filming of Furious 7 was a blow to franchise fans around the world. Those same fans turned out in droves to see the finished work, which was also something of a tribute to the late actor. The film earned an insane $1.5 billion worldwide. His estate, meanwhile, got a piece of the backend, and it's believed Walker earned about $10.5 million since his death. 8. Ray Charles Billy Joel once said that Ray Charles was even more important to popular music than Elvis Presley, and he’s probably right. Elvis was kind of a copycat, who used his unreal mimicry skills to reproduce rock songs, and made them popular. Meanwhile Ray Charles was the artist that blended gospel, soul, country, and blues and actually invented what rock and roll sounds like. If you listen through a catalog of Ray Charles’ career you’ll be blown away. Some of those early tunes back in the 1950s are rocking and catchy as hell. He was not the guy on the Diet Pepsi commercials. And he was no sappy Jamie Foxx either. The dude was a genius. 9. Andy Warhol Andy Warhol changed the face of art in the 1960’s. He was a true renaissance man, embracing everything from fine art to music to literature, and putting his stamp on each. His famous portraits of Marilyn Monroe, and the Campbell’s soup can took the mundane process of silk-screening and made it awesome. His paintings still sell for millions. He produced the highly influential rock band The Velvet Underground and founded Interview Magazine. He was also openly gay way before it was socially acceptable. He coined the phrase “15 minutes of fame” even though he stayed in the spotlight way longer than that. 10. Elizabeth Taylor Just google Liz Taylor and young, and you’ll be amazed how gorgeous this actress was back in her prime. In Cleopatra in 1963 she turned many heads, showing a ton of cleavage, plus a bathtub and massage scene that made dudes drop their jaw. Then she married like a million dudes and hung out way too much with Michael Jackson. Her biggest claim to wealth, besides old movie royalties was her still popular line of White Diamonds perfume. Just go to Macy’s and give the sampler a whiff and you’ll instantly be transported to your grandma’s house. 11. James Dean Since Rebel Without a Cause James Dean has been a dead icon. The legendary film was released after the actor’s untimely death in a car crash. He was awarded two posthumous Oscar nominations, for Giant and East of Eden,and went on to be obsessed over for years. His image still shows up on t-shirts, coffee mugs and posters across the country. His good looks, humble beginnings in Indiana, and method acting process has been dissected as well as his personal life. His macho love of car racing is highly contrasted by the rumours that the famous actor may have been gay. 12. David Bowie Latest newcomer to the list is David Bowie who rocked until the very end. How incredibly fitting to release your final album, Black Star, and then die only days later. For David Bowie the timing was uncanny, and very profitable. Bowie was already a rich man, but after his passing, his album and iTunes sales shot through the roof. His millions of fans doubled overnight, and a younger generation of music fans were introduced to a man that influenced every facet of pop. His onstage antics and wild personas like Ziggy Stardust will never be matched. His 2016 earnings could be capable of nearing dead celeb leader, Michael Jackson. Credits: therichest.com Share this story on Facebook with your friends.

Zack Walkter

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