...And Then Ya Die
Stumbled on this on MSN...
Elvis is still the king of the crypt, but up-and-comers such as Johnny Cash and Ray Charles are new to Forbes' annual look at the fortunes of the dead.By Forbes.comThey're famous across the globe. Their work is treasured by millions. And they're rolling in cash -- they just can't spend any of it.The 13 members of our annual Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities list brought in a collective $186 million in the last year. They, or more accurately, their estates, earned that money by selling their work -- both written and recorded -- or just the rights to use their likenesses on T-shirts, posters or in advertisements. Sometimes, their life stories themselves are worth something: Ray Charles makes the list for the first time this year, in part because of income related to his 2004 biopic. Johnny Cash, who also makes his first appearance this year, has his own movie out in November.
.Most of the lucky 13 on our list are there year in and year out, with only slight changes in their annual income -- the demand for Marilyn Monroe, for instance, remains fairly steady. Others see their relative fortunes rise and fall depending on whether Hollywood is throwing money their way--neither Theodor ("Dr. Seuss") Geisel nor J.R.R. Tolkien made the silver screen this year, and their income fell accordingly.
Elvis is still the king of the crypt, but up-and-comers such as Johnny Cash and Ray Charles are new to Forbes' annual look at the fortunes of the dead.By Forbes.comThey're famous across the globe. Their work is treasured by millions. And they're rolling in cash -- they just can't spend any of it.The 13 members of our annual Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities list brought in a collective $186 million in the last year. They, or more accurately, their estates, earned that money by selling their work -- both written and recorded -- or just the rights to use their likenesses on T-shirts, posters or in advertisements. Sometimes, their life stories themselves are worth something: Ray Charles makes the list for the first time this year, in part because of income related to his 2004 biopic. Johnny Cash, who also makes his first appearance this year, has his own movie out in November.
.Most of the lucky 13 on our list are there year in and year out, with only slight changes in their annual income -- the demand for Marilyn Monroe, for instance, remains fairly steady. Others see their relative fortunes rise and fall depending on whether Hollywood is throwing money their way--neither Theodor ("Dr. Seuss") Geisel nor J.R.R. Tolkien made the silver screen this year, and their income fell accordingly.
posted by Doug Brown at 4:36 PM
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