They say you can’t take it with you, but you can apparently keep earning big bucks after you’ve died.
Forbes revealed the year’s 13 top-earning dead celebrities. Collectively, they’ve earned $1.6B, up 72% from last year and the biggest take since Forbes started counting in 2001.
J.R.R. Tolkien earned $500m thanks to Swedish video game company Embracer’s acquisition of Middle-Earth Enterprises, which owns exclusive rights to elements of the Lord of the Rings author’s work.
Elvis Presely came in fourth with $110m from tickets, shows, merchandise, and boosted interest in the singer following Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis.
The bottom two slots belong to Beatles: John Lennon with $16m and George Harrison with $12m. Both estates received millions from the Beatles Cirque du Soleil show and Disney’s “Get Back” docuseries.
Curious about who topped last year’s list? Author Roald Dahl after Netflix paid $684m for the Roald Dahl Story Company.