He’ll be delighted with that.
The King of Pop Michael Jackson reigns supreme yet again, topping the annual morbid list that is Forbes’ rundown of the highest-earning dead celebrities.
He received the very same accolade last year, too, and for five years in a row before that.
Despite no shortage of controversy being attached to the late singer, particularly in the wake of the Leaving Neverland documentary, it seems people the world over are still streaming and purchasing his music en masse.
According to the full report, Jackson raked in $60 million for 2019, amounting to 2.1 billion plays of his music recorded in America alone, up from 1.8 million in 2018.
Forbes cites his Mijac Music catalogue, a Las Vegas show in his name and a long-term deal with Sony as further sources of income.
The list is complied utilising pre-tax income for dead celebrities from 1 October 2018 – 1 October 2019. Small print details like fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted.
So, with Jackson showing no signs of losing this strange title, who else do we have?
Elvis Presley is there at #2, with a total of $39 million largely thanks to the recent expansion of Graceland, while Peanuts/Snoopy creator Charles Schulz is just behind in third place to the tune of $38 million.
Champion golfer Arnold Palmer ($30 million) and reggae icon Bob Marley ($20 million) round out the top five.
The full list is available here.
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