Forbes: Top earning dead celebrities

[Initech]

They're famous across the globe. Their work is treasured by millions. And they're rolling in cash--they just can't spend any of it.

The 13 members of our annual Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities list brought in a collective $186 million in the last year. They, or more accurately, their estates, earned that money by selling their work--both written and recorded--or just the rights to use their likenesses on T-shirts, posters or in advertisements. Sometimes their life stories themselves are worth something: Musician Ray Charles makes the list for the first time this year, in part because of income related to his 2004 biopic. Johnny Cash, who also makes his first appearance this year, has his own movie out in November.

The Lucky 13

1. Elvis Presley
2. Charles M. Schulz
3. John Lennon
4. Andy Warhol
5. Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel
6. Marlon Brando
7. Marilyn Monroe
8. J.R.R. Tolkien
9. George Harrison
10. Johnny Cash
11. Irving Berlin
12. Bob Marley
13. Ray Charles

http://www.forbes.com/home/lists/2005/10/25/highest-earning-dead-celebrities_deadceleb05_land.html

[Deja Q]

1. Capitalizing on the dead is tantamount to NECROPHILIA.

Sick.

The artists are dead. The estates collect and also allow the use of the artists' countenances for whatever the estates want. And if an artist was against something and lo and behold there's the artist pimping the product s/he hated, and that's happened before...

Capitalizing on the dead is disgusting anyway. It's tantamount to necrophilia and I am not apologetic for saying that either.

[Initech]

4. Sort of like the way George Bush is doing?

[Sabriel]

2. What, no L. Ron Hubbard?

Don't tell me he's alive.

And how about that creepy poll to follow up? Ew.

[philosophie_en_rose]

5. Maybe Scientology isn't as popular as it claims to be.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

3. How

bizarre.

And I say this as a woman who once wanted to grow up to be Marilyn and marry Elvis.