Actor Heath Ledger, 2007 Venice Film Festival in Italy - Now a Forbes 'Dead Celeb' Moneymaker

Since 2001 Forbes Magazine has published their ‘Dead Celeb’ Moneymaker List. Published For the last 6 years before Halloween, the list that shows which celebrities are still making money from their grave. And, for second straight year, the King of Rock Elvis Presley topped their Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, making $52 million in 2008.

The 30th anniversary of Presley’s death boosted attendance and merchandise sales last year at his Memphis, Tennessee, home, Graceland, as well as licensing deals, such as a Presley show on satellite radio, added to the earnings.

The closest ranking living celebrity – Justin Timberlake, who made $44 million last year.

Making money for the dead, pretty much starts the day they die, this year a perfect case study with the passing of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, where his family and handlers didn’t waste a minute of cashing in on his celebrity, from souvenir high gloss ‘death programs’ memorializing his funeral to a new Michael Jackson documentary, to the preparatory concert footage film Michael Jackson: This Is It, in limited release 3 months after his death.

Elvis Presley, Charles Schultz, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, Beatles legend John Lennon and actress Marilyn Monroe are the only entertainers to make the list every year.
Forbes’ Top Dead Celebrities Moneymakers for the last 12 Months:

1. Singer Elvis Presley – $52M
2. Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz – $33M
3. Actor Heath Ledger – $20M
4. Physicist Albert Einstein – $18M
5. TV Producer Aaron Spelling – $15M
6. Author Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) – $12M
7. Singer John Lennon – $9M
8. Artist Andy Warhol – $9M
9. Actress Marilyn Monroe – $6.5M
10. Actor Steve McQueen – $6M
11. Actor Paul Newman – $5M
12. Actor James Dean – $5M
13. Singer Marvin Gaye – $3.5M