Years after their passing, certain celebrities keep cashing in, including one legendary music icon who made millions in 2025.
Sixteen years after Michael Jackson died in 2009, the King of Pop continues to pull millions of dollars into his estate. According to Forbes' 2025 list of highest-earning dead celebrities, Jackson continues to be a big money maker, earning $105M.
The publication explains that the bulk of Jackson's posthumous earnings come from his own publishing rights and master recordings, as well as the ATV catalog (which includes many of John Lennon and Paul McCartney's best-known recordings as The Beatles). Since his death, Jackson remains in the public eye in many different capacities, including the Broadway hit MJ: The Musical, and Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ONE.
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Michael Jackson sold half of his ATV Music Publishing catalog to Sony in 1995. He later sold his remaining stake to Sony in 2016 for around $750 million, as reported by Mental Floss.
"The agreement for Jackson's half-share of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog will give the company sole ownership of works by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and other hit-making musicians, including Eminem and Taylor Swift," reported CBS in 2016. However, the deal excluded ownership of the singer’s original master recordings and the songs he personally wrote.
Who else was on the 2025 list of top-earning dead celebrities?
In second place on the Forbes list of highest-earning dead celebrities in 2025 is children's author Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss. This year alone, his estate earned $87M.
The late co-founders of Pink Floyd rank at numbers three and four. Richard Wright and Syd Barrett's estates pulled in $81M each.
At number five is The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace). His estate succeeds from both his music catalog and merchandising.
Number six is jazz legend Miles Davis at $21M. At number seven is an entertainer who was tied to the King of Pop via marriage. Elvis Presley, whose daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, married Jackson in 1994, earned $17M.
Rounding out the 2025 Top 10 are Jimmy Buffett at $14M, Bob Marley at $13M, and John Lennon at $12M. Right behind them are Prince ($11M), Arnold Palmer ($11M), and Kobe Bryant ($10M).
Per Forbes, Michael Jackson remains the top-earning dead celebrity of the last quarter-century at $3.5B. Elvis Presley comes in at number two with $1.2B.
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