Richest dead celeb? No, not Jackson

ByaseL · 2009-10-30T11:11:00+00:00

By Forbes.com Topping the list of top earners among the deceased is fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent, who earned $350 million to beat out Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and others. The money might be drying up in Hollywood, but there's still plenty of cash to be made in the graveyard. The 13 iconic figures on Forbes' list of the top-earning dead celebrities grossed a collective $886 million in the past 12 months. Topping the list for the first time is Yves Saint Laurent, who earned $350 million in a much-heralded estate sale. Over three days in February, auction house Christie's sold many of the French fashion icon's possessions, including expensive art, antiques and furniture, garnering $443 million. After commissions, the cash was split between the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and a soon-to-be-created philanthropic group aimed at supporting scientific research and the fight against AIDS. YSL died of brain cancer in June 2008. Debuting on the list in third place is musician Michael Jackson. In the four months since his death, the King of Pop's estate has brought in $90 million. Though his afterlife earnings didn't land him atop the list, as many had anticipated, few celebrity deaths have garnered more media attention. Since his June 25 passing, Jackson's estate has sold an estimated 9 million albums worldwide, plus more than 5.5 million digital downloads. Sony shelled out $60 million for the rights to produce "This Is It," the highly anticipated movie featuring rehearsal footage of what was to be a 50-date concert engagement at London's O2 arena. The $60 million advance will be split between Jackson's estate and concert promoter AEG. The estate, AEG and Sony will divvy up any profits from the movie. Merchandise created for the tour has been selling briskly online.

Thread starter ByaseL
Start date Oct 30, 2009

ByaseL

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Richest dead celeb? No, not Jackson

ByaseL

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