Janet CollinsRich Dead People
October 28th 2009 09:50
We are fascinated by lists aren’t we? The one that got my attention today was the just released Forbes list of top earning dead celebrities. This is actually the ninth annual one compiled by Forbes and it puts fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent at the top of the list with estimated 12 months earnings of $US350 million.
This isn’t really much good to M. Saint Laurent but the recipients of his post death wealth won’t exactly be worrying over rent or electricity bills too soon.
Neither will those who receive earnings on the wealth of the other 12 dead celebrities on the list who include composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein who came in second on $US235 million and Michael Jackson in third place with estimated wealth since his death in June at $US90 million.
This is the first time Yves Saint Laurent made it to the list but it wasn’t his fashion designs that pushed him to the top. Sales of an extended property portfolio earned most of the wealth on M. Laurent’s estate, something Forbes predict will have him on this list this one time only.
The estates of composers Rodgers and Hammerstein usually earn annual income from catalogue licensing fees. Famous for composing some of the most popular musicals of all time including Carousel, South Pacific and The Sound of Music, the duo’s earnings increased substantially this year by the sale of The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization as well as the rights to their joint creations to Imagern Music Group for a reported $US200 million.
Obviously this was also the first time Michael Jackson’s estate made the list and Forbes predicts the ongoing fortunes will have his name on the list for a long time.
Following the top three were last year’s list topper, Elvis Presley, in fourth place at $US55m, J.R.R. Tolien next at $US50m and cartoonist and creator of all time favourites such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Charles Schulz in sixth place at $US35m.
The rest of the list in order goes John Lennon ($US15m), Dr Seuss ($US15), Albert Einstein ($US10m), author Michael Crichton ($US9m), TV soap creator Aaron Spelling ($US8m), Jimi Hendrix ($US8m) and Andy Warhol ($US6m).
Those who dropped off the list from last year were Heath Ledger who was no 3 last year, Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, James Dean and Marvin Gaye.
So fortunes can certainly be made in the afterlife not that any of them can enjoy them personally. Interesting.
Sourced: www.forbes.com; reuters on www.smh.com.au
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