Death Becomes Them: How Celebrity Legacies Keep Earning Big Bucks in 2025

The business of fame doesn’t stop when the curtain falls. In fact, for some of entertainment’s biggest names, the money keeps rolling in at a pace that would make any living performer jealous. A quarter-century of tracking deceased celebrity earnings reveals a fascinating ecosystem where intellectual property, brand extensions, and nostalgia converge into billion-dollar enterprises.

The King of Pop’s Lasting Empire

Twenty-five years into chronicling the highest-earning dead celebrities, one name has rewritten the playbook entirely: Michael Jackson. Since his death in 2009, Jackson’s various enterprises have generated an astonishing $3.5 billion—a figure that eclipses every other deceased performer by such a margin that industry experts describe it as leaving “an enormous canyon” between Jackson and everyone else.

Last year alone, Jackson’s legacy pulled in $105 million. But the real story lies in how Jackson accumulated and leveraged assets during his lifetime. His 1985 purchase of the ATV Publishing catalog for $47.5 million—equivalent to roughly $142 million in today’s dollars—proved to be a masterstroke. That catalog contained nearly 4,000 songs, including virtually every composition penned by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. When the estate sold its majority stake to Sony in 2016, the deal generated approximately $750 million (around $1 billion adjusted for inflation). Three years ago, another landmark transaction saw the family sell a 50% stake in Jackson’s own master recordings and publishing to Sony for $600 million, further cementing his position as the wealthiest deceased artist.

Beyond record sales and publishing royalties, Jackson’s multimedia ventures have proven remarkably resilient. His 2009 concert film This Is It grossed $267 million at the global box office. A Cirque du Soleil production launched in 2012 generated $160 million and became the highest-grossing concert tour of that year—more profitable than any touring act by a living musician. The subsequent Vegas residency Michael Jackson ONE has maintained its draw since 2013, while MJ: The Musical on Broadway (debuted 2022) has accumulated nearly $300 million in ticket sales across multiple international productions.

The Musician’s Advantage

Musicians occupy a commanding position on this year’s list, representing 10 of the top 13 earners and collectively generating $541 million before taxes and fees. Unlike actors whose film and television residuals typically generate smaller percentages of revenue, recording artists benefit from more generous royalty structures on their masters and publishing catalogs.

The past year saw a notable wave of catalog sales as private equity-backed firms sought to acquire music rights. How much is Jimmy Buffett worth in terms of his lasting impact? The Margaritaville empire—which extends from restaurants and apparel to resorts and cruise lines—catapulted Buffett to billionaire status even after his 2023 death from skin cancer. His $14 million annual earnings pale in comparison to the top earners but underscore the power of lifestyle branding. The estate continues to monetize the Margaritaville name across virtually every conceivable product category, creating a diversified revenue model that outlives its founder.

Pink Floyd’s two late members—founding keyboardist Richard Wright and original frontman Syd Barrett—jointly earned $81 million when Sony Music Publishing acquired the band’s entire catalog and name-image-likeness rights for $400 million in October 2024. The estate of East Coast rap icon The Notorious B.I.G. (Christopher Wallace), who was murdered at 24, saw significant valuation lift when Primary Wave Music purchased 50% of his catalog, publishing, and NIL rights in March. Despite his brief 24-year lifespan, Biggie’s street credibility and merchandise appeal continue to drive $80 million in annual returns.

Diversification Beyond Music

The most successful estates leverage multiple revenue streams. Elvis Presley, who topped Forbes’ inaugural list 25 years ago, has earned over $1.2 billion cumulatively, generating $17 million this past year. Though the Presley family controls only 15% of Elvis Presley Enterprises (with the rest managed by Authentic Brands Group), Graceland remains a tourism juggernaut alongside merchandise licensing and publishing rights.

Arnold Palmer’s estate demonstrates the power of consumer brands. Sales of the signature Arnold Palmer drink—a mixture of iced tea and lemonade marketed through AriZona Beverages—generate approximately $200 million in annual product sales. Kobe Bryant’s basketball footwear had its revenue nearly quadruple in the past year through Nike’s partnership, proving that athletic performance legacies remain commercially potent decades after retirement.

For jazz legend Miles Davis, a Reservoir Media acquisition of 90% of his catalog paired with announced centennial celebrations at venues like Lincoln Center signals a catalog resurgence strategy. Dr. Seuss, born Theodor Seuss Geisel, topped the children’s literature sales charts in 2024 with 4.8 million books sold, outpacing J.K. Rowling. His characters remain licensing gold, with Netflix expanding its partnership to include three new series and Warner Bros. developing a theatrical adaptation of The Cat In The Hat for 2026.

The Real Economics of Afterlife Wealth

What separates mega-earners from moderate performers often comes down to timing, diversification, and control. The estates that maximize returns typically owned their own publishing and master recordings rather than depending solely on label relationships. They also cultivated brand equity that extends far beyond recorded music—into touring productions, merchandise, themed attractions, and consumer products.

The market for music assets, while cooled from pandemic-era peaks where valuations reached 20 times revenue, remains robust. That Bob Marley’s Hope Road Las Vegas show generates $29 live performances weekly or that John Lennon’s unreleased concert footage attracts HBO documentaries underscores how nostalgia, cultural significance, and multimedia reach continue to unlock value.

For the 13 highest earners on this year’s list, the roads remain quite literally paved with gold. Their legacies prove that in modern entertainment, the most valuable asset isn’t always what you create during your lifetime—it’s what you build permission to monetize long after.