Michael Jackson Is Top-Earning Dead Celebrity of 2014, Tops List for Second Year in a Row

For the second year in a row, Michael Jackson tops Forbes's list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. The King of Pop brought in $140 million in the past year, in no small part due to the release of his posthumous album Xscape, which hit No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

Other musicians on the list include Elvis Presley at No. 2 with $55 million, Bob Marley at No. 5 with $20 million and John Lennon at No. 7 with $12 million. Prior to Jackson's domination of the list, the No. 1 spot was held by actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2012.

The names on the 2014 list are more or less the same as the 2013 list, with the one difference being legendary actor James Dean, who comes in at No. 10 with $7 million, replacing Mexican-American pop singer Jenni Rivera.

Despite dropping off the list this year, Rivera was mentioned on Forbes's Near Misses list of dead celebrities who are still bringing in millions, but not enough to make the Top 10. Other musicians included on this list are Kurt Cobain, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix and composer Richard Rodgers.

You can check out Forbes's complete list of Top Earning Dead Celebrities for 2014 here:

1. Michael Jackson: $140 million
2. Elvis Presley: $55 million
3. Charles Schulz: $40 million
4. Elizabeth Taylor: $25 million
5. Bob Marley: $20 million
6. Marilyn Monroe: $17 million
7. John Lennon: $12 million
8. Albert Einstein: $11 million
9. Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) : $9 million (tie)
9. Bruce Lee: $9 million (tie)
9. Steve McQueen: $9 million (tie)
9. Bettie Page: $9 million (tie)
10. James Dean: $7 million

Tags

Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles