- He was named the highest-earning deceased celebrity on Forbes magazine’s 2023 annual list with an estimated $115 million in earnings.
- His late father-in-law, Elvis Presley came in second place with an estimated $100 million in earnings.
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.