Highest paid dead celebrities in 2018: Bob Dylan once wrote: “When you’re sad and when you’re lonely, And you haven’t got a friend, Just remember that death is not the end.” Dylan’s words ring true, at least in the financial sense, in this year’s list of highest-paid dead celebrities, released by Forbes on Wednesday. Though their souls have departed our mortal Earth, many celebrities continue to rake in significant amounts of revenue posthumously.
Rapper XXXTentacion signed a $US10 million deal for a new album weeks before his death in a shooting. In order to produce the list, Forbes measured pretax earnings from October 1, 2017 through October 1, 2018 before deducting fees for agents, managers, lawyers, and estate executors.
This year, the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson reigns supreme after his stake in EMI Music Publishing was sold for $US287 million in May.
Scroll down to see the 12 highest-earning dead celebrities this year.
12. Muhammad Ali — $US8 million
Since dying from septic shock in 2016, Muhammed Ali’s estate has received earnings from a lawsuit against Fox Broadcasting who used the boxer’s image and likeness in a Super Bowl ad without consent.
11. XXXTentacion — $US11 million
Rapper XXXTentacion was shot dead during an apparent robbery in June this year.
The controversial artist, who was facing domestic abuse charges at the time of his death, notched his first Billboard No. 1 posthumously with his song “Sad!” He was the first person to do so since Notorious B.I.G.
Wild vigils were held by fans for the rapper, leading the police to intervene in some cases.
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