Michael Jackson named Forbes’ highest-paid dead celebrity of 2023 [Full List]

The late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, claims the top spot as Forbes' highest-paid dead celebrity of 2023.


Despite his untimely demise nearly a decade and a half ago, Michael Jackson’s enduring popularity continues to generate an astonishing income, catapulting him to the forefront of the annual list.

With an estimated $115 million in earnings, he was dubbed the highest-earning deceased celebrity on Forbes magazine’s 2023 annual list, which was revealed on Tuesday.

This is Michael Jackson’s first time at the top in four years.

Elvis Presley, Jackson’s late father-in-law, came in second place with an estimated $100 million in earnings.

John Lennon, Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, and Prince are among the other deceased superstars who made the list of the top 13.

An approximate $470 million was earned by the deceased celebrities in the previous year. 70 percent less than in 2022.

They were rated according to their pretax earnings from sales, licensing agreements, streams, and other sources of income between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023.

See the list below:

US singer, Michael Jackson – $115 million

US singer and actor, Elvis Presley – $100 million

US keyboardist, Ray Manzarek – $45 million

US cartoonist, Dr. Seuss – $40 million

US cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz – $30 million

US singer, Prince – $30 million

US singer, Whitney Houston – $30 million

British singer, John Lennon – $22 million

Jamaican singer, Bob Marley – $16 million

US singer, Bing Crosby – $14 million

British singer, George Harrison – $14 million

US golfer, Arnold Palmer – $10 million

US singer, Marilyn Monroe – $10 million

In another story, Forbes lists it’s top 5 richest musicians from Nigeria; Their net worth is jaw breaking

The Nigerian music industry is made up of different talented musicians who have carved a niche for themselves with varying styles of music such as rap, afro-beats, afro-fusion and hip-hop. Having only one source of income in Nigeria is not usually the way to the top and a lot of celebrities in the entertainment industry have discovered that. They rarely dwell on their main jobs as artistes but also focus on other sources of livelihood. Many musicians are brand ambassadors and run their own side businesses, asides music. A good number of celebrities have worked hard to build a strong fan base by using social media to their advantage and creating good and consistent music.

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