What? You Thought It Was Liberace?
Michael Jackson earned about $160 million in the last year, making him the top-earning dead celebrity of 2013, as well as the top-earning celebrity period, since his estate’s accumulation of wealth even bested Madonna’s $125 million income. The “Thriller†hitmaker’s wealth nearly tripled runner-up Elvis Presley’s $55 million on Forbes‘ annual list of posthumous celebrity wealth. Most of Jackson’s money from beyond the grave comes courtesy of two Cirque du Soleil shows, “Immortal†and “One†— the former of which has grossed over $300 million since opening last year. The rest of the Jackson estate’s fortune comes from his music and his half of the Sony-ATV catalog that owns hits from The Beatles and Lady Gaga.
