It seems the Prince Of Pop has well and truly usurped the King Of Rock And Roll.
For Michael Jackson once again raked in more than Elvis Presley to become the world's top earning dead celebrity of 2014.
The
music legend's estate continued to earn more than most celebrities in
the land of the living with an altogether not Bad at all haul of $140m.
Sitting on the throne: Prince of Pop Michael Jackson beat off Elvis Presley to be the world's top earning dead celebrity of 2014
According to Forbes,
he made almost three times as much as perennial list topper Elvis
Presley, who made a relatively paltry $55 million in earnings over the
same 12-month period.
Jackson's
estate made a fortune on the back of his second posthumous album
release Xscape, which went straight in at number two in the charts.
His profile was further bolstered by an holographic performance on stage at the Billboard Music Awards.
His
controversial appearance will no doubt pave the way for other dead
celebrities as the technology advances to the point where we won’t be
able to tell the difference.
This isn't it: Michael, seen here at the press conference for his fateful final tour, continues to rake it in
The star in
ninth place Bettie Page, who made $9 million in earnings, is also to
get the same treatment in a show about the her life which is set to open
in Vegas next year, and will feature a hologram of one of her
striptease acts.
One
person who will not be following in his footsteps will be Elvis, as he
already had his own concert tour using the technology back in 2012.
His
rights were bought by Authentic Brands Group last year for $125
million, and his estate raked in a fortune due to Graceland tourism and
his music library.
Earning a King's ransom: Elvis Presley still made a more than respectable $55 million in the last year
However
ABG plans is hoping to squeeze even more cash out of his franchise with
a hologram show that could be up and running in Vegas early next year
which could even seem him perform with a virtual Michael Jackson.
Cartoonist
Charles Schulz certainly did not make Peanuts, coming in at third with
$40 million thanks to his popular characters, which include Charlie
Brown and Snoopy.
With
money continuing to pour in from his comic strip, merchandising and
MetLife MET -2.41% adverts, the franchise will get a further boost
thanks to an upcoming 3-D movie from Fox studios. set to hit cinemas
next year.
We love money: Cartoonist Charles Schulz creations Charlie Brown and Snoopy helped his estate to third spot
Smelling of roses: English sexpot Elizabeth Taylor earned $25m thanks to her best-selling perfume
English sexpot Elizabeth Taylor came in at fourth with $25 million, mainly due to a best-selling perfume and her old movies.
While
her estate is vastly profitable, experts predict companies will be
eager to cash in on her status as a symbol of old Hollywood glamour,
with more merchandise opportunities sure to be explored.
Raggae
favourite Bob Marley came in at fifth with an estimated $20 million in
earnings thanks to his bonce featuring on bags, T-shirts and even a line
of fruit-flavored drinks.
Forbes
compiled the list in conjunction with estate managers, agents, music
publishers and other insiders, coming up with estimates of what each
estate brought in between October 2013 and October 2014.
That's not gnarly Marley: Bob's estate does not have to worry about a thing as he earned a whopping $20m
