Elvis Presley is still topping the charts more than 30 years after his death, with the rock ‘n’ roll legend coming top in a list of the highest earning dead celebrities.
The list was compiled by American company Forbes, and compiles the earnings of dead celebrities. Astonishingly, despite (or perhaps because of) his death Elvis Presley earned $52 million last year – more than $10 million more than Madonna. His well handled estate launched a number of ventures last year including the Elvis Sirius Satellite Radio show and expansions on the Graceland museum.
Elvis Presley has topped the list for the past six out of seven years. Other musicians on the list include soul legend Marvin Gaye with $3.5 million and the John Lennon estate with more than $9 million. The bulk of Lennon’s estate was given to anti-war charities.
Last year’s list was topped by Kurt Cobain, whose back catalogue re-issues, rarities box set and newly published journals made for a very profitable year.
