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Forbes
Top-earning dead celebrities of 2003
Clearly, Elvis has not left the building yet. The deceased crooner has a $40 million annual income. Also on the top 10 list: Dale Earnhardt and Marilyn Monroe.
By Forbes.com
Elvis Presley once again leads the Forbes.com annual list of top-earning deceased celebrities.
The third annual list tracks the posthumous business dealings of the biggest stars of yesteryear. How does one earn a living after you are living no more? In some cases, such as Presley and Tupac Shakur, money comes from issuing new compilations and previously unreleased tracks. Others rake it in when their books are made into blockbuster movies. Still others derive revenue from royalties on the many classic songs they wrote, which continue to be recorded and performed. Marketers also continue to use -- and pay for -- the likeness of iconic celebrities like Marilyn Monroe even though they've been gone for decades.
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To arrive at the earnings number, we tallied standard royalties on sales of an artist's work, including CDs or books. We considered fees from licensing of one's name and likeness for use in advertisements or promotions, and also merchandising. In the case of songwriters, we took into account the many fees associated with the re-recording and live performances of classic songs or musicals, as well as their use in ads in television and movies. The final number reflects estimated earnings between September 2002 and September 2003.
| Top-earning dead celebrities | |
Elvis Presley. For the third year in a row, Elvis remains King of the crypt, earning a stunning $40 million. Visits to Graceland were up 4% in the past year, to 600,000. A techno version of the forgotten song "Rubberneckin" was used in a Toyota commercial. Bono, Tom Petty and Dave Matthews appeared on an NBC tribute last fall to strum and sing Presley tunes. And in the clearest sign that Elvis never really left the building, his 30 #1 Hits compilation CD sold more than 9 million copies around the world. A follow-up collection, 2nd to None, was released in mid-October and featured more hit singles and the previously unreleased "I'm a Roustabout." It sold 181,000 copies its first week in the stores.
--Davide Dukcevich
Charles Schultz. Talk about a security blanket: Charles Schulz left his heirs with a business empire that generated about $1.2 billion in retail sales last year. A tiny percentage of that is derived from the comic strip, while the bulk comes from licensing of "Peanuts" characters for use in everything from greeting cards to T-shirts. And talk about geographic diversification: "Peanuts" is coveted in the Americas, Europe and Asia. How long do we expect Schulz to appear on our list? For as long as Charlie Brown keeps pining for the Little Red-Haired Girl.
--Davide Dukcevich
J.R.R. Tolkien. His heirs are said to have thought the fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings" was unsuitable for translation to film, but they certainly can't complain about the financial rewards the films have brought. The second installment of the three-film series, "The Two Towers," grossed $920 million globally. And the books are still going strong. The three volumes that make up Rings sold 8.6 million copies in the United States in the past year, while "The Hobbit," a prelude novel to the series, tallied 2.3 million copies. Book sales alone earned the estate more than $15 million, while royalties from the film, DVD and videogames brought in about $5.6 million.
--Arik Hesseldahl
John Lennon. Lennon's solo record sales came in at 219,000 last year, and Beatles records sales were down to 2 million from 5 million in 2001, according to Nielsen/SoundScan. Still, because Lennon co-wrote the Beatles' biggest hits, his estate continues to reap the profits even though Michael Jackson and Sony own the publishing rights to most of the band's catalog. New products are still being churned out -- a John Lennon documentary was released in September 2002, called "John Lennon: The Messenger." Next year will be much busier for Lennon's estate. In addition to a new DVD, "Lennon Legend," scheduled to be released next month, reportedly there are plans for a big-budget Broadway musical in which 30 Lennon songs will be used. Various actors will portray different parts of Lennon's personality.
--Betsy Schiffman
George Harrison. Judging by record sales alone, the Quiet Beatle certainly seems to be the favored Beatle. Harrison's solo records outsold that of fellow Beatle John Lennon by more than 100% last year. Harrison's estate takes a one-quarter share of royalties from Beatles record sales, which were down but still totaled 2 million units last year. The estate also generates earnings from the books he wrote as well as royalties from the songs he penned, including "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something." Next year should be even better. A tribute concert featuring Harrison's songs, held shortly after he died, will be released on DVD and CD.
--Betsy Schiffman
Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel. Consider this the year before the storm. While the estate of Dr. Seuss earned a very respectable estimated $16 million in the past year, that's nothing compared with next year's tally, which will include royalties from the highly anticipated film version of "The Cat in the Hat" as well as scads of related merchandise. In this non-movie year, Seuss income came from book sales, which were up nearly 40% over 2001, the musical "Seussical," the Seuss Landing theme park and Seuss-related clothing and toys.
--Lisa DiCarlo
Dale Earnhardt. Argentines have Evita. Italians have Padre Pio. And the South has Dale Earnhardt. His earning power dipped in the past year, but Earnhardt's estate boosted licensing income by coming out with a new logo. Barring a novelty that would goose sales this year, it will be hard for Earnhardt to stay in the same league as Elvis Presley and Charles Schulz on our list. Still, the racing legend has something those men don't: an eponymous son who not only followed his father's career but excels at it. Twenty-eight-year-old champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will literally keep his dad's name on fans' minds for years to come.
--Davide Dukcevich
Tupac Shakur. The open ends of Tupac Shakur's brief life have added to his aura, and earning power. Consider that in the past 12 months a documentary, a book and an investigative series in the Los Angeles Times have centered on the rapper's mysterious and violent 1996 murder. Then there are the hundreds of recordings that were never released during his life, many of which have appeared on eight posthumous albums. The fascination has translated into more than 3 million albums sold during the past two years. There's more. A documentary, "Tupac: Resurrection," produced by his mother, and an accompanying soundtrack and book are slated for release later this year.
--Davide Dukcevich
Bob Marley. Although Marley died more than 20 years ago, surviving family members and clever music execs constantly find new ways to keep his music alive -- and profitable. His songs have been covered by a diverse assortment of musicians, including hip-hopper Lauryn Hill and classic rocker Eric Clapton, and every year there seems to be a digitally remastered rerelease of an old album or a live show. Last year fans were treated to a deluxe edition of the 1976 album "Rastaman Vibration." Worldwide, there were over 1 million Bob Marley and Bob Marley and the Wailers albums sold last year. Reportedly on deck for a 2004: a two-disc deluxe edition of the 1973 album "Burnin'" and the 1975 album "Live."
--Betsy Schiffman
Marilyn Monroe. Elton John sung that Marilyn Monroe's candle burned out long before her legend ever did. That's more true than ever, as Marilyn's income surpassed last year's. Half of her $8 million earnings were derived from advertising deals, including two new ones with Chrysler and Volkswagen in Europe. Another third comes from merchandising -- Marilyn Merlot, for example -- and the rest is residuals from movies and other media.
--Lisa DiCarlo
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