Elvis is top-earning dead celebrity
Elvis Presley is the world’s top-earning dead celebrity, it has been revealed.
The King, who died 25 years ago this week, earned $37m (€37.82m) in the last year alone, according to the "Earnings from the Crypt" list by US business website Forbes.com.
The remixed version of A Little Less Conversation, which was number one for a month in the UK singles chart, and the quarter-century anniversary helped Presley stay well ahead of other dead celebrities.
A new four-CD box set, Elvis Today, Tomorrow & Forever, is out in the US next month.
The Top Earning Dead Celebrities list included Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz, in second place and former Beatle John Lennon.
Fellow Beatle George Harrison was a new entry in at number six but rock legend Jimi Hendrix dropped four places to number nine.
Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien was seventh.
Rapper Tupac Shakur, gunned down in Las Vegas six years ago, is at number 10 - and he’s now released more albums dead than alive, thanks to 200 posthumously released material.
The list in its second year, names the top 13 dead celebrities, compiled by Forbes who calculate pre-tax earnings to each deceased’s estate from licensing agreements, book and record sales.
The site says: "One might not think of death as an optimal career move, but for some celebrities, crossing over to the far side doesn’t hurt their income in the least.
"It’s been a good year for the dead."
Forbes Richest Deceased Celebrities
1. Elvis Presley
2. Charles Schulz
3. John Lennon
4. Dale Earnhardt
5. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel
6. George Harrison
7. J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Bob Marley
9. Jimi Hendrix
10.Tupac Shakur
11. Marilyn Monroe
12. Jerry Garcia
13. Robert Ludlum
