World's highest-paid celeb is dead for years; yet made $600M in 2024; beat Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise, Shah Rukh, Rihanna

The highest-paid celebrity in the world earned $600 million in 2024, even though they have been dead for 16 years.

There is a lot of money in showbiz. The richest celebrities today are billionaires, some rivalling business tycoons with their massive wealth. These top celebs earn hundreds of millions of dollars each year through their films, music, endorsements, and business investments. But what if we were to tell you that the highest-paid of them all has been dead for 16 years and is still bringing in $600 million a year?

The world's highest paid celebrity died in 2009,

World's highest-paid celebrity has been dead since 2009

Forbes came out with its annual list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities recently. The 2024 list was topped yet again by Michael Jackson. The pop icon, who died in 2009 at age 50, has been consistently raking in millions of dollars each year through the continued sale of his music. But 2024 was a windfall even by the great MJ's standard. In 2024, Michael Jackson 'earned' $600 million. These earnings came from streaming, licensing deals, but largely from the sale of the rights of his musical biopic - MJ. This helped Michael stay ahead of other high-earning dead celebrities like Freddie Mercury ($250 million earnings in 2024), Dr Seuss ($75 million), and Elvis Presley ($50 million).

What makes Michael Jackson's 2024 earnings so special is that it is even more than all the living celebrities. Taylor Swift was one of the highest-earning celebrities in the year due to her globally hit Eras Tour. But even she had to contend with being second to MJ, with earnings of $400 million as per Forbes. Others like Dwayne Johnson ($88 million), Tom Cruise ($25 million), and Shah Rukh Khan ($20 million) are even further behind.

Michael Jackson's incredible legacy

Since his death in 2009, Michael Jackson has earned $3.2 billion through his music and intellectual property rights, more than any other celeb. Born in 1958, Michael Jackson entered the music industry as part of the Jackson Five even before he turned a teenager. After attaining success as part of the group of his siblings, Michael branched out for a solo career at 18. By the early 1980s, he was among the top draws in world music with hits like Thriller. Through the 80s and 90s, Michael established himself as arguably the most popular celebrity in the world and continued churning out chart-topping songs. He died in 2009 from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray, who was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter. His televised memorial service, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was estimated to have been viewed by more than 2.5 billion people.