GirlHappy19
10-29-2007, 05:25 PM
Forbes10/29/2007 3:00 PM ET
Top-earning dead celebrities? Elvis, Lennon
The King reclaims his top spot on the list with a $49 million estate, while settlements with Apple and EMI boost the Beatle today
By Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/?partner=msnedit) The 13 legends in our seventh annual list of the Top-earning dead celebrities (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07-cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_2.html?partner=msnedit) grossed a combined $232 million in the past 12 months. Many are instantly recognizable one-name wonders (Elvis, Marilyn, Warhol) who still command attention worldwide, making them a marketer's ideal pitchman.
Indeed, all the members of this year's club are the linchhpins of enormously profitable -- and growing -- merchandising empires. Albert Einstein's (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_6.html?partner= msnedit) name is used to peddle Baby Einstein DVDs. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_8.html?partner= msnedit) books are a staple of every kiddie library on the planet. Hundreds of performances of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" pad the portfolio of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz each year -- as do comic strips that are still syndicated daily in thousands of newspapers worldwide.
But even in death, there can only be one King. Reclaiming his top spot on the list is Elvis Presley (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_2.html?partner= msnedit), whose estate generated $49 million in the past year. CKX (CKXE (http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_quote?Symbol=CKXE), news (http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/rcnews.asp?Symbol=CKXE), msgs (http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/board.asp?Symbol=CKXE)), the publicly traded firm that presides over the bulk of the Elvis empire (daughter Lisa Marie Presley retains a 15% stake) announced a massive overhaul of Graceland this summer. Additions will include a hotel convention center, a state-of-the-art multimedia museum and a spiffier visitors center.
Top-earning dead celebrities? Elvis, Lennon
The King reclaims his top spot on the list with a $49 million estate, while settlements with Apple and EMI boost the Beatle today
By Forbes.com (http://www.forbes.com/?partner=msnedit) The 13 legends in our seventh annual list of the Top-earning dead celebrities (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07-cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_2.html?partner=msnedit) grossed a combined $232 million in the past 12 months. Many are instantly recognizable one-name wonders (Elvis, Marilyn, Warhol) who still command attention worldwide, making them a marketer's ideal pitchman.
Indeed, all the members of this year's club are the linchhpins of enormously profitable -- and growing -- merchandising empires. Albert Einstein's (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_6.html?partner= msnedit) name is used to peddle Baby Einstein DVDs. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel's (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_8.html?partner= msnedit) books are a staple of every kiddie library on the planet. Hundreds of performances of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" pad the portfolio of "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz each year -- as do comic strips that are still syndicated daily in thousands of newspapers worldwide.
But even in death, there can only be one King. Reclaiming his top spot on the list is Elvis Presley (http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/26/top-dead-celebrity-biz-media-deadcelebs07_cz_lg_1029celeb_slide_2.html?partner= msnedit), whose estate generated $49 million in the past year. CKX (CKXE (http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_quote?Symbol=CKXE), news (http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/ticker/rcnews.asp?Symbol=CKXE), msgs (http://moneycentral.msn.com/community/message/board.asp?Symbol=CKXE)), the publicly traded firm that presides over the bulk of the Elvis empire (daughter Lisa Marie Presley retains a 15% stake) announced a massive overhaul of Graceland this summer. Additions will include a hotel convention center, a state-of-the-art multimedia museum and a spiffier visitors center.