Michael Jackson top earning dead celeb: Forbes

Michael Jackson has topped the Forbes magazine's list of "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities" for the second year in a row. Elvis Presley was ranked second on the list with $55 million and the third highest paid celeb is...

Michael Jackson has topped Forbes magazine's list of "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities" for the second year in a row. "Over the past 12 months, Jackson's estate brought in $170 million from sales of his music and his stake in the Sony/ATV catalogue," the magazine said on its website on Wednesday.

"That's a big drop from the $275 million Jackson earned in the previous 12 months but it's still enough to make him the second highest-earning pop act over the past year, dead or alive, after U2," it said.

Elvis Presley was ranked second on the list with $55 million, while Marilyn Monroe was third with $27 million. A total of 15 dead celebrities made it to the list. They earned a combined $366 million between October 2010 and October 2011.