This is a list of the highest-paid dead celebrities in the world as ranked by ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine since October 2001.

2022 list

The 2022 list: J.R.R. Tolkien earned $500 million from the sale of Middle-Earth Enterprises.

2021 list

The 2021 list:

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

announced the acquisition of the ''Roald Dahl Story Company'', which manages the rights to

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...

's stories and characters, for a fee of $684 million (£500m). Dahl's heirs held at least a 75% stake before the company was acquired.

2020 list

The 2020 list:

2019 list

The 2019 list:

2018 list

The 2018 list: Michael Jackson brought in $287 million from the sale of his estate's stake in

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Sony Music Publishing (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is the largest music publisher in the world, with over five million songs owned or administered as of end March 2021. US-based, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is itself owned ...

to Sony.

2017 list

The 2017 list:

2016 list

The 2016 list: Michael Jackson had the largest annual gain for an entertainer, living or dead, due to the $750 million sale of his half of the

catalogue.

2015 list

The 2015 list:

2014 list

The 2014 list:

2013 list

The 2013 list:

2012 list

The 2012 list:

2011 list

The 2011 list:

2010 list

The 2010 list:

2009 list

The 2009 list:

2008 list

The 2008 list:

2007 list

The 2007 list:

2006 list

The 2006 list:

2005 list

The 2005 list:

2004 list

The 2004 list:

2003 list

The 2003 list:

2002 list

The 2002 list:

2001 list

The 2001 list:

References

{{Forbes Magazine Lists

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

Lists of people by magazine appearance