Elvis is the fourth highest earning dead celebrity

[Elvis.com]

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – Even after death celebrities make millions and fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who surpassed singer Michael Jackson, was named the top earning dead celebrity.

In its ninth annual list Forbes.com said the Frenchman, considered one of the greatest designers of the 20th century and who died in 2008, made $350 million.

Composers Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein came in second on the 2009 list with $235 million, and the recently deceased "King of Pop" Jackson ranked third at $90 million.

But Jackson is likely to be a big earner for years to come while Saint Laurent, who made the list for the first time this year, may have difficulty repeating the 2009 performance.

"Saint Laurent had a massive estate sale, which brought in $350 million. Michael Jackson has only made $90 million since his death in June," said Forbes Senior Editor Matt Miller, who is also the editor of the dead celebrities list.

"Michael Jackson will make tens of millions of dollars a year because he has lucrative publishing rights, rights to all his memorabilia. There's still profits to be made from the movie which comes out tomorrow."

The Michael Jackson movie "This is It" hits theaters around the world on October 28. It is based on his rehearsals for a series of London concerts.

The other "King," Elvis Presley, was fourth on the list with $55 million.

The ranking assesses the earning power of deceased celebrities, including musicians, authors, actors, and songwriters, among others.

Two names that unexpectedly did not make this year's list were Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.

"Both have similar incomes to last year. In fact Marilyn Monroe made more money this year versus last year," said Miller. "However, because of all the new people on the list like Yves Saint Laurent they weren't able to keep up."

The full list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities can be seen at: www.forbes.com/deadcelebs.

(Reporting by Burton Frierson; editing by Patricia Reaney; source: Yahoo News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091027/lf_nm_life/us_celebrities_dead)

[Brian]

You can read about it right here
Elvis places fourth on Forbes list this year
I am shocked by the low placing!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091027/lf_nm_life/us_celebrities_dead

[italianfan]

Elvis 4th is shocking but if you look at the list Yves Saint Laurent made number one, which as the article says was due to sale of his estate, so next year wont be anywhere near number 1.

number 2 roger and hammerstein, i have no idea how they got up there.

number 3 is MJ which again is shocking, i thought he would have sold more than $90 million.

Over all, considering everything, Elvis in 4th place with $55million is still pretty good going.

To be honest, i was very pesamistic when MJ died that Elvis would ever be number 1 dead celeb any time soon, but with only $40 million in it, theres a very good chance he will be, even with MJ being dead less than a year.

[rocknroll]

Obviously, not something I'll lose sleep over.

[cbg84]

Elvis 4th is shocking but if you look at the list Yves Saint Laurent made number one, which as the article says was due to sale of his estate, so next year wont be anywhere near number 1.

number 2 roger and hammerstein, i have no idea how they got up there.

number 3 is MJ which again is shocking, i thought he would have sold more than $90 million.

Over all, considering everything, Elvis in 4th place with $55million is still pretty good going.

To be honest, i was very pesamistic when MJ died that Elvis would ever be number 1 dead celeb any time soon, but with only $40 million in it, theres a very good chance he will be, even with MJ being dead less than a year.


Though I would think that Elvis would be higher and should be I'm a big fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein as well. I grew up on them. My mom sat me down to watch South Pacific when I was seven or eight and I loved it.

[KPM]

Listen these are all new additions to the list (recent deaths)-and so that does not mean they will be on the list next year-with the exception of MJ
Rodgers and Hammerstein have been dead quite a while-so they must have revised how they compile the list.

[T_J]

There's nothing at all shocking about it. The first two must be something to do with a sell-off this year and they won't be in the top two next year. MJ would naturally make three, given the huge surge of purchasing following his death. What hasn't been mentioned is that the figure for Elvis is actually up several million on last year. That's pretty good given the state of the economy. I predict that next year MJ will be 1st and Elvis 2nd and it might even continue that way for a couple of years as MJ's estate takes commercial advantage of his premature death. Elvis will likely be back on top after interest in MJ wanes a little.

[Brian]

Rodgers and Hammerstein have been dead quite a while-so they must have revised how they compile the list.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's people must have done something behind the scenes that we don't know about to achieve such a high placing.

Yves Saint Laurent I don't know if I'd consider him a celebrity

[franny]

You can read about it right here
Elvis places fourth on Forbes list this year
I am shocked by the low placing!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091027/lf_nm_life/us_celebrities_dead

Thanks, for posting Brian. I don't consider 4th place that low...
but, I see what you're saying.

franny

[Lisarose]

Elvis 4th is shocking but if you look at the list Yves Saint Laurent made number one, which as the article says was due to sale of his estate, so next year wont be anywhere near number 1.

number 2 roger and hammerstein, i have no idea how they got up there.

number 3 is MJ which again is shocking, i thought he would have sold more than $90 million.

Over all, considering everything, Elvis in 4th place with $55million is still pretty good going.

To be honest, i was very pesamistic when MJ died that Elvis would ever be number 1 dead celeb any time soon, but with only $40 million in it, theres a very good chance he will be, even with MJ being dead less than a year.

I was only surprised that the Designer beat out Michael Jackson. YSL! I still can't believe it.

[Brian]

Thanks, for posting Brian. I don't consider 4th place that low...
but, I see what you're saying.

franny

I didn't expect Rodgers and Hammerstein or Yves Saint Lauren on this list at all that surprised me.

I thought Michael Jackson would be #1 with Elvis probably being #2 but he's all the way to #4 this year.
The only year I remember Elvis not being in the top 3 or at number one was when Kurt Cobain's estate sold his song catalouge.

[john carpenter]

The other "King," Elvis Presley, was fourth on the list with $55 million..Sarcasym at it's best err worst?:lmfao: I.M.O. Elvis who has been dead longer than Michael Jacksons whole Career $55 mil. ain't bad ..4th place is good & Elvis will be #1 again in a year or two!:king:

[T_J]

I didn't expect Rodgers and Hammerstein or Yves Saint Lauren on this list at all that surprised me.

I thought Michael Jackson would be #1 with Elvis probably being #2 but he's all the way to #4 this year.
The only year I remember Elvis not being in the top 3 or at number one was when Kurt Cobain's estate sold his song catalouge.

And clearly something like that has occurred to produce this year's top two. They wouldn't have leapfrogged the list and be leading it by such a huge margin otherwise. Like I said, Elvis earnings are higher than usual, so he's doing just fine.

[monk37]

I was surprised by the #1 and #2 positions - and wondered where they came from out of the blue

I was expecting Jackson to be above Elvis - after all, he just died and has had a huge media campaign

but, there's already backlash against the kind of coverage and his whole pedophile accusations making people remember why he's not been relevant for the last 15 years of his life

so, Elvis, who continues to be not marketed and treated like an ATM machine, will once again regain the top spot

same as the year blip that Kurt Cobain's estate did a sale and he was #1 earning that year


Elvis is #1 to us fans as a #1 every year

[KPM]

Rodgers and Hammerstein's people must have done something behind the scenes that we don't know about to achieve such a high placing.

Yves Saint Laurent I don't know if I'd consider him a celebrity
Well they have written some of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time-
They created a string of popular Broadway musicals in the 1940s and 1950s during what is considered the golden age of the medium. With Rodgers composing the music and Hammerstein adding the lyrics, five of their shows, Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, were outstanding successes. In all, among the many accolades that their shows (and their film versions) garnered were thirty-four Tony Awards,[1] fifteen Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two Grammys.

All of these plays are produced over and over again year after year around the world-so perhaps it was just an oversight in the way the Forbes people decided on who should be on the list.
If you would go by "strictly performers" It would be MJ at #1 and Elvis #2 for this year.
But even MJ at #1 is a little misleading-he was a live for half the year and was actively working so half of that income is while he was alive.

[debtdbruno]

I don't understand R&H being there?............what have they sold this last year to warrent 2nd place?

[KPM]

I don't understand R&H being there?............what have they sold this last year to warrent 2nd place?
Well as I pointed out they own the plays they made-and all the songs in the plays-so everytime "Oklahoma" or THe Sound of Music is produced anywhere in the world-their estates get paid. Plus any music they wrote is covered by someone-they get paid.

[debtdbruno]

I understand that Ken........but after all these years??????
How many people buy R&H music?.........enough obviously!!

Why has there been a surge last year?

[KPM]

I understand that Ken........but after all these years??????
How many people buy R&H music?.........enough obviously!!

Why has there been a surge last year?
It seems their R&H Organization which controlled their music- sold the rights to someone-so this will be a one time situation.
At No. 2, between Saint Laurent and Jackson, are Broadway legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The songwriting duo, who wrote the music and lyrics to widely successful musicals like "Oklahoma!," "South Pacific," "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music" made the bulk of their $235 million in combined earnings from the sale of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and the rights to music they wrote together.

[debtdbruno]

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/oct/29/king-of-pop-rocks-elvis-role-as-top-earner/

Brian posted this..........it says a Dutch pension fund bought the R&H catalog for $235 million