Jackson’s Estate Surpasses Presley’s

As I previously blogged, experts in the management of celebrity estates wondered whether Michael Jackson’s estate would surpass that of Elvis Presley.  It finally happened in 2010. Forbes’ list of the highest earning dead celebrities in 2010 ranked Michael Jackson at number one, followed by Elvis Presley at number two. In fact, Michael Jackson’s estate earned $275 million last year—a greater annual earning than that of 2010’s two biggest living acts, U2 and AC/DC.

Forbes’ list also saw the addition of new celebrities in 2010. Newcomers Stieg Larsson (author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and George Steinbrenner (New York Yankees icon) snagged spots six and eight respectively. The estate of a deceased celebrity had to earn at least five million dollars from October 1, 2009 to October 1, 2010 to rank on the list. Forbes estimated the celebrities’ gross earnings prior to payment of management fees, taxes, and other costs.

See Lacey Rose and Dorothy Pomerantz, Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, Forbes, Oct. 25, 2010.