Michael Jackson Is World's Richest Dead Entertainment - Noise11.com
Michael Jackson, Noise11, Photo, music news

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson Is World’s Richest Dead Entertainment

by Music-News.com on October 13, 2016

in News

Michael Jackson’s estate certainly pulled in the money last year.

The late singer tops the Forbes Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities List again but this year with the amazing amount of $825 million. That is 3.3 times the total of the next twelve people on the list combined.

This is, actually, a one-time thing for Jackson. $750 million of that was for the sale of his share of Sony/ATV Publishing catalog, which includes the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Jackson paid $47.5 million for it back in 1985, an amount that most said was overinflated at the time, but it paid off in the end.

That would leave Jackson with “only” $75 million in income from other sources, still enough to put him at the top of the list. The late comic Charles Schulz (Peanuts) is second with $48 million and the recently deceased Arnold Palmer in third with $40 million.

Two others who died this year, both musicians, also make the list. Prince is fifth with $25 million and David Bowie is eleventh with $10.5 million.

The list:
Michael Jackson ($825 million)
Charles Schulz ($48 million)
Arnold Palmer ($40 million)
Elvis Presley ($27 million)
Prince ($25 million)
Bob Marley ($21 million)
Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel ($20 million)
John Lennon ($12 million)
Albert Einstein ($11.5 million)
Bettie Page ($11 million)
David Bowie ($10.5 million)
Steve McQueen ($9 million)
Elizabeth Taylor ($8 million)

music-news.com

Related Posts

Shirley Strachan Skyhooks (photo from skyhooks-music.com)
Shirley Strachan of Skyhooks Left Us 24 Years Ago Today 29 August

It’s hard to believe it’s been 24 years since Australia lost one of its most iconic musical sons—Graeme “Shirley” Strachan, the charismatic lead singer of Skyhooks. Today, on 29 August 2025, fans, friends, and fellow musicians remember the voice that defined a generation, the performer whose presence lit up stages, and the personality who made Australian rock both fun and unforgettable.

August 29, 2025
Russell Morris at Hamer Hall Melbourne 27 August 2025 photo by Winston Robinson
Russell Morris The Farewell Tour Is A Treasure Trove Of Hits and Rarities

Russell Morris was almost apologetic when he stepped onto the Hamer Hall stage in Melbourne for the first night of The Farewell Tour on Wednesday (27 August 2025). He admitted to his fans that a 60-year career can look confusing from the outside. The truth is, Morris was never one to sit still.

August 28, 2025
Steve Martin and Alison Browne photo from Compass Records
Steve Martin and Alison Brown Unite for Safe, Sensible and Sane Out October 17

Steve Martin has spent decades balancing comedy, acting, writing and music, but his love for the banjo has always been more than a hobby. On October 17, Martin will join forces with banjo trailblazer Alison Brown for their new collaborative album Safe, Sensible and Sane, a star-studded roots music project set to be one of the year’s most intriguing releases.

August 26, 2025
Tom Waits supplied by Anti
Tom Waits To Reissue 1975 Classic Nighthawks at the Diner For 50th Anniversary

Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner is being reissued for its 50th anniversary on October 24, with ANTI- Records pressing the landmark album onto three limited-edition yellow vinyl variants. More than just a re-release, this marks a celebration of one of the most unusual and defining recordings of Waits’ early career.

August 26, 2025
Queen autographed A Night At The Opera
Why Queen’s Quietest Member John Deacon Chose to Become a Recluse Until This Rare Return

For fans of Queen, John Deacon has long been the enigma of the band, a brilliant musician, masterful songwriter, and humble presence behind the scenes. Since the early 1990s, Deacon has shunned the spotlight, retiring quietly after Freddie Mercury’s death in 1991. But now, years later, he has quietly resurfaced, lending his signature alongside bandmates Roger Taylor and Brian May on a charity auction item, signalling, perhaps, that even the most private of souls can still make their mark in unexpected ways.

August 25, 2025
Patti Smith Horses 50th Anniversary
Patti Smith ‘Horses’ Gets 50th Anniversary Reissue With Unearthed Demos and Live Cuts

In 1975, Patti Smith entered Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York City with a vision: to fuse the jagged energy of punk with the fluid imagery of poetry. That vision became Horses, one of the most groundbreaking debut albums in rock history. Now, half a century later, Sony has announced the 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition of Horses, a release that both celebrates the legacy of the record and offers fans newly unearthed material from Smith’s early years.

August 25, 2025
Bruce Springsteen Born To Run
Bruce Springsteen’s Born To Run Album Turns 50

On 25 August 1975, Bruce Springsteen released Born To Run, the album that transformed him from a New Jersey barroom songwriter into one of the most important voices in rock history. Fifty years later, the record still stands as a landmark, both for its ambitious sound and for the way it defined Springsteen’s career.

August 25, 2025