Jackson named top-earning dead celebrity

King of Pop Michael Jackson has been named the top-earning dead celebrity of 2013.
The administrators of the late pop star’s estate have brought in an estimated USD 160 million in the past year, according to Forbes magazine, thanks to deals with Cirque du Soleil and recorded music sales. Jackson beat ‘King of Rock and Roll’, Elvis Presley, whose daughter Lisa-Marie was once the pop star’s wife, and Peanuts cartoonist Charles M Schulz, who came third with a USD 37 million fortune. Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor and reggae star Bob Marley round out the top five.
Taylor’s big bucks came from her White Diamonds perfume, which in 2012 brought in USD 53 million in the US alone, as well as rights in old movies, and her “smart stock and real estate investments. Ironically, Jackson topped the very much alive Madonna on the pop fortune list. The Material Girl singer was named the top earner on the 2013 celebrity 100 list, with USD 125 million in earnings. (PTI)