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Michael Jackson tops Forbes’ 2025 ranking of the highest-earning deceased celebrities, with an estimated $105 million. The list shows how money can continue to flow from music and publishing rights, books, licensing, tourism and branded businesses after a celebrity’s death. Its figures are estimates of pretax earnings—not audited income or a measure of what heirs personally take home.
How Forbes measured earnings in 2025
Forbes’ ranking covers estimated pretax earnings from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. It also includes estate acquisitions made or announced during that period. Forbes says it used Luminate data and interviews with industry insiders, and did not subtract fees for agents, managers or lawyers. Forbes’ 2025 ranking and methodology therefore should not be read as audited net income, cash distributed to beneficiaries, or a recurring royalty figure for every person listed. A rights sale or other acquisition can make one year’s estimate unusually large.
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The 10 highest-earning deceased celebrities
The figures below are Forbes’ estimates for the stated October 2024–September 2025 period. Revenue descriptions are drawn from Forbes’ reporting; they do not imply that every dollar from a product or business went to an estate.
| Rank | Celebrity | Estimated earnings | What Forbes identifies as a source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jackson | $105 million | Rights and royalties, plus the MJ: The Musical and Michael Jackson ONE residency. |
| 2 | Dr. Seuss | $85 million | Book sales, character licensing and Netflix partnerships. |
| 3 (tie) | Richard Wright | $81 million | Songwriting royalties and the reported Pink Floyd rights transaction with Sony Music Publishing. |
| 3 (tie) | Syd Barrett | $81 million | The same reported Pink Floyd transaction, alongside royalties from his songwriting credits on more than a dozen band songs. |
| 5 | The Notorious B.I.G. | $80 million | A reported sale of 50% of catalog, publishing, and name, image and likeness rights to Primary Wave. |
| 6 | Miles Davis | $21 million | A reported acquisition of 90% of Davis’ estate by Reservoir Media, as well as centennial performances and a planned biopic. |
| 7 | Elvis Presley | $17 million | Graceland tourism, licensing and remaining publishing rights. |
| 8 | Jimmy Buffett | $14 million | The Margaritaville brand, including restaurants, apparel, resorts and a cruise line, as well as retirement communities inspired by Buffett. |
| 9 | Bob Marley | $13 million | A Las Vegas live show and licensed products such as audio equipment, coffee, fragrances and home goods. |
| 10 | John Lennon | $12 million | Forbes’ annual estimate for Lennon’s estate in the ranking; its article separately discusses Beatles members’ name, image and likeness earnings. |
Why the biggest estimates can be so different
Rights transactions can lift a single year’s total
Michael Jackson’s estate sold Sony a 50% stake in master recordings and publishing rights for $600 million in 2024. Forbes says the estate also negotiated a larger share of worldwide royalties on music rights it retained. The $105 million ranking estimate is not the same thing as the sale price: Forbes’ figure is its estimate for the measurement period, while the sale is a transaction involving assets. The article also identifies revenue associated with MJ: The Musical and the Michael Jackson ONE residency.
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Pink Floyd’s rights transaction helps explain why Richard Wright and Syd Barrett appear high on the list. Forbes reports a $400 million Sony Music Publishing deal in October 2024 and cites songwriting royalties for both men. Barrett had songwriting credits on more than a dozen Pink Floyd songs. A deal involving a band’s rights does not mean each songwriter or estate receives an equal share; Forbes does not provide a full audited breakdown for these entries.
Forbes also reports a sale of 50% of The Notorious B.I.G.’s catalog, publishing and name, image and likeness rights to Primary Wave, and that Reservoir Media acquired 90% of Miles Davis’ estate. Such transactions can change who controls future rights and how future revenue is divided; the ranking does not disclose the complete terms or distributions to beneficiaries.
Books, products and places keep brands visible
Dr. Seuss’s $85 million estimate has a different business mix from the music-heavy entries. Forbes, citing Circana, reports that 4.8 million Dr. Seuss books sold in the United States in 2024, alongside character licensing and Netflix partnerships. The sales count is for books, not a stated sum paid to the estate.
Elvis Presley’s earnings are linked to Graceland tourism, licensing and remaining publishing rights. Forbes says the Presley family owns 15% of Elvis Presley Enterprises, while Authentic Brands Group controls and manages the rest. Buffett’s Margaritaville brand spans restaurants, apparel, resorts and a cruise line, with retirement communities also inspired by his lifestyle brand. Marley’s list of licensed products includes audio equipment, coffee, fragrances, pillows, tote bags and posters, and Forbes also identifies a Las Vegas live show.
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For John Lennon, Forbes’ ranking estimate is $12 million. The same article says each Beatles member receives nearly $6 million a year in name, image and likeness earnings, and that Yoko Ono owns rights to Lennon’s solo music. The nearly $6 million figure is a separately reported measure for Beatles members; it is not Lennon’s ranking estimate and should not be added to it as though Forbes presented a combined total.
Forbes’ full ranking includes 13 people and reports $541 million in combined earnings. The two entries beyond this article’s top ten are Prince and Arnold Palmer, each at $11 million, and Kobe Bryant at $10 million. Forbes separately estimates annual product sales of $200 million for Palmer’s eponymous drink; that is product sales value, not Palmer’s estate earnings.
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What “making millions” means for an estate
A deceased celebrity does not personally earn income. The money associated with a legacy may be generated by an estate, rights holders, licensees or businesses operating under a continuing brand. Those parties can have different ownership shares and responsibilities. For example, a product’s sales are not equivalent to the amount an estate receives, and a rights holder may have sold or shared some assets.
Forbes’ estimates offer a useful comparison of the scale and sources of posthumous earnings, but they are not a beneficiary’s personal-finance statement. They do not show the full costs, taxes, ownership splits or distributions for each estate. The ranking also measures a particular period and includes certain transactions, so it is best understood as a year-specific estimate rather than a promise that the same amount will recur.
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