By April MacIntyre Mar 31, 2007, 17:08 GMT
Move over, Elvis, there's a new King from beyond the grave. Seattle rocker Kurt Cobain has topped Presley with $50 Million in posthumous earnings, reports Forbes in their annual list.
Kurt Cobain is seen performing in Los Angeles in a 1992 file photo. Rock 'n' roll legend Elvis Presley ceded his crown to Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain on Forbes.com's list as the top-earning dead celebrity. REUTERS/Lee Celano
Elvis has sat on Forbes' number one spot in their list of "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities" every year since its inception in 2001, more than John Lennon, James Dean, and other iconic dead earners.
Forbes now lists Kurt Cobain, earning $50 million between October 2005 and 2006, as No. 1.
Presley is second, at $42 million, down $3 million from last year.
Forbes top dead earners and where their income is derived:
1. Kurt Cobain --- Courtney Love sold 25 percent of Nirvana's song catalogue, which will be marketed heavily.
2. Elvis Presley -- Billionaire Robert F.X. Sillerman's CKX company paid $114.2 million for rights to Presley's name and likeness, in addition to the tourist operations at Graceland. Side note: CKX markets "American Idol," so watch for Sanjaya in an Elvis wig sometime soon.
3. Charles M. Schulz -- The bulk of the late cartoonist's $35 million in earning comes from licensing. Among other products, retailer Urban Outfitters sells a version of Linus' security blanket. Everyone still loves Snoopy and Woodstock.
4. John Lennon -- "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can?" sang the millionaire. His heirs are crowing "All You Need Is Love" as they count their millions.
5. Albert Einstein -- The Baby Einstein line of educational videos and toys is run by Einstein's estate, and is controlled by Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to the tune of $20 million in royalties.
6. Andy Warhol -- Andy Warhol images are marketed heavily. Barneys department store will institute the "Happy Warholidays" advertising campaign, with the artist's work on billboards and shopping bags. New iMac computers are equipped with a feature called Photo Booth, which has a "Warhol" option. You, too, can have a giant Warhol portrait of yourself or a loved one.
7. Dr. Seuss -- Books, movies and now Broadway, when will someone do a movie based on the scary pants with nobody inside them? Or the Sneetches for that matter?
8, Ray Charles - The "Georgia" on my mind singer still rakes in royalties to the tune of $10 million.
9. Marilyn Monroe- Her famous face will never die, and wannabe Anna Nicole couldn't hold a candle in the wind to her talent.
10. Johnny Cash- The world fell in love with Cash and his music all over again after the great film "Walk The Line." American music at its finest.
11. J.R.R. Tolkien- Hobbit tales and children still go together like peanut butter and jelly.
12. George Harrison- Maybe from beyond the grave his messages of peace and love will help us in our hour of need.
13. Bob Marley- Died too young from cancer at age 36, his children carry his legacy in music, and a feature film is rumored in the works. Read Christopher John Farley's biography on the late Rastafarian-it's excellent and full of information on Jamaica's turbulent history too. Bob's life - though short - was interesting. You won't be able to put it down.
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JMaxxApr 1st, 2007 - 05:59:07
Cobain beat out Presley last year too. This story is wrong, or Forbes got it wrong. I'm not a Cobain fan, but I'm pretty sure.
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Brian QuinnApr 1st, 2007 - 13:39:35
This is old news. Expect Elvis to be back at No.1 in the next few months. The Cobain success was a one-off.
MichaelApr 2nd, 2007 - 02:18:03
Elvis has his the point where he won't have a comeback, with 25% of Nirvana being comercialized Cobain is just going to get more. And yes this is his second year at no. 1, he took in 50 million last year too.
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