10 Dead Celebrities That Are Still Making Millions (Updated 2022)

It is a common notion that as people are lowered in their graves, their income starts to decline exponentially. But, these ten artists have defied this notion and are still earning millions of dollars even after half a century of their death. These dead celebrities are some of the biggest names in their respective industries. This list includes people from the music and film industry, sports, and even cartoonists. Also, we have listed dead celebrities’ net worth here.

It doesn’t matter which entertainer died today or not. Popularity doesn’t depend on death for some people. Not all of these people earn from their main craft. To get a more in-depth insight into millions of earnings in only a year and the wealth of celebrities after death, takes a look at the following list:

Sr No.	Name	Earning (2019)
1.	Michael Jackson	$60 million
2.	Elvis Presley	$39 million
3.	Charles Schulz	$38 million
4.	Arnold Palmer	$30 million
5.	Bob Marley	$20 million
6.	Dr. Seuss	$19 million
7.	John Lennon	$14 million
8.	Marilyn Monroe	$13 million
9.	Prince	$12 million
10.	Nipsey Hussle	$11 million

1. MICHAEL JACKSON

(Earning: $60 million)

Date of death: June 25, 2009
Cause of death: Overdose/Homicide

At the top of the richest dead celebrities’ list is a name that doesn’t need an introduction. Michael Jackson was one of the biggest stars ever. He is “The King of Pop.” Michael Jackson had sold millions of albums in his life. He still earns millions from his music, but the primary source of his income is from his music publishing stake to Sony. These sources include the tv-show “Michael Jackson’s Halloween” and licensing to big companies. In 2019, his whole earring was $60m.

Michael Jackson died due to a medicine overdose prescribed by his doctor. After investigation, it was brought to the surface that the doctor knowingly gave a high dose to kill the greatest Popstar of all times. You will always find Jackson’s picture among the dead celebrities’ photos because he was one of the amazing artists of all times!

2. ELVIS PRESLEY

(Earning: $39 million)

Date of death: August 16, 1977
Cause of death: Heart Attack

The icon and the king of rock and roll are one of the nicknames of Elvis Presley. The list of dead celebrities couldn’t be completed without him. Despite that, his earnings last year were $39m. Elvis was born in America. He was an amazing singer as well as an actor and dancer– one of the greatest stars of the 20th century. He stills earn money from many projects, but the main source of his steady cash flows is the Graceland and the newly built Elvis Presley’s Memphis entertainment complex. Graceland received almost half a million visitors only in 2018.

3. CHARLES SCHULZ

(Earning: $38 million)

Date of death: February 12, 2000
Cause of death: Cancer

Charles is among those celebrities who passed away a long time ago, but people still love him via his work. Charles Schulz’s creations are also a part of millions of children worldwide. One of his most famous characters is Snoopy. Snoopy is a part of the Peanuts franchise. This franchise also released an animated movie “Peanuts” in 2015. Even though Charles Schulz died in 2000, he still lives on with his cartoons and has earnings of $38m in the previous year.

4. ARNOLD PALMER

(Earning: $30 million)

Date of death: September 25, 2016
Cause of death: Heart Disease

Arnold Palmer, also known as The King, was a golf player. His wealth has a fascinating story. Even though he earns a lot of money from licensing his name and images to companies, he also earns a lot from a drinking formula that he made. He made a drink with only lemonade and ice tea, which were sold in significant volumes. It was named the Arizona beverage. Later, Molson Coors partnered with Arnold to make an alcoholic version of Arizona beverage. Last year he earned a total of $30m.

5. BOB MARLEY

(Earning: $20 million)

Date of death: May 11, 1981
Cause of death: Cancer

BOB belongs to the famous people that are dead. Bob Marley hailed from Jamaica and died at the age of 36. He is appraised to be the pioneer of the Jamaican music style, Reggae, and had a really distinct way of writing songs, and this thing gave him the success and love he got from all around the world. Like other artists in his lists, he is also earning a lot of money from licensing deals with big companies. His contracts and sales earned him almost 20 million dollars last year as well. Bob Marley died in the United States in 1981.

6. DR. SEUSS

(Earning: $19 million)

Date of death: September 24, 1991
Cause of death: Cancer

Dr. Seuss was a cartoonist. You might think what a children’s book writer is doing on this list. You may be surprised to know that Dr. Seuss earned a lot of money from these books, and even after almost 30 years of his death, he is still making millions. In 2019 alone, he made 19 million dollars. His books were not any run-in-the-mill children’s stories; they were a part of millions of children’s lives around the world. The books he wrote include Red Fish, The Cat in a Hat, and The Grinch Stole Christmas. Licensed publishing houses are said to have sold 5 million copies only in 2018.

7. JOHN LENNON

(Earning: $14 million)

Date of death: December 8, 1980
Cause of death: Homicide

John Lennon was the co-founder of one of the greatest music bands in history, “The Beatles”. John was a songwriter, singer, and vocalist– one of the most loved musicians that died.

Even though most of his earnings come from his songs, with the band and solo, he also earns money from other sources. These sources include the income from the manufacturers who use his or his band’s pictures on products like shirts, posters, etc. In 2019 his total earnings were $14m.

8. MARILYN MONROE

(Earning: $13 million)

Date of death: August 5, 1962
Cause of death: Overdose

There is only one movie star on this list, and she is an actress who died almost 58 years ago. Marilyn Monroe died due to an overdose at the age of 36. Even after more than half a century of her death, she is earning quite a significant sum of money. She earned $14m in only 2019. This is because of two reasons: her deals with big companies and the people who manage her estate. Her deals with Montblanc, a German luxury goods company, and Chanel, a French fashion company, still earn her a lot of money. Moreover, her managers don’t allow companies to use her name or picture on anything without permission.

Also read: Marilyn Monroe quotes

9. PRINCE

(Earning: $12 million)

Date of death: April 21, 2016
Cause of death: Overdose

Prince and his music ruled the music industry even after four years of his death. On average, the increase in sales/streams is about 12% every year. His earnings for only in 2019 were $12m. The income generated from his albums may still increase many-fold in the future. His family is in the process of making a deal with Sony to release a demo or unreleased versions of his songs. This deal will undoubtedly push Prince’s spot a lot higher on the list in the coming years. This shows that his forty-year-long career as an artist will still go on for years after his death.

10. NIPSEY HUSSLE

(Earning: $11 million)

Date of death: March 31, 2019
Cause of death: Homicide

According to Forbes Magazine, Nipsey Hussle became one of the celebrities who earned the most money after their demise in 2019. He is the most famous among the recent dead celebrities. He was inducted into this list just after eight months of his death. Researchers have seen a general trend of increased sales of albums in the year the artist died. He earned $11m in 2019.

What are your views about these celebrities? Who is your favorite? Leave your answers in the comment box.