Sixteen years after his death, Michael Jackson continues to reign as the highest-earning deceased celebrity, generating $105 million in 2025, according to Forbes’ latest ranking.
The King of Pop’s estate benefits primarily from his publishing rights and master recordings, as well as the ATV catalog that includes many classic Beatles songs, Parade said.
Jackson’s legacy also remains visible through entertainment ventures like the Broadway production “MJ: The Musical” and Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson ONE.”
Jackson’s business dealings with Sony have shaped his posthumous earnings, Parade noted. He sold half of his ATV Music Publishing catalog to Sony in 1995, with his remaining stake sold to the company in 2016 for approximately $750 million. CBS reported at the time that “the agreement for Jackson’s half-share of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalog will give the company sole ownership of works by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and other hit-making musicians, including Eminem and Taylor Swift.”
However, Jackson’s original master recordings and personally written songs were excluded from the deal.
“The power of ‘Thriller.’ ‘Off The Wall,’ ‘Bad,’ and ‘Dangerous’) compels people across generational, cultural and social divides to continue to groove to Michael Jackson’s music,” Malcolm Abram, a music and entertainment writer for cleveland.com said.
Other top selling dead celebs
- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) ranks second on the 2025 list with $87 million.
- Pink Floyd co-founders Richard Wright and Syd Barrett tie for third and fourth, each generating $81 million.
- The Notorious B.I.G. claims fifth place, with earnings from his music catalog and merchandise.
- Jazz legend Miles Davis holds the sixth position with $21 million
- Elvis Presley follows at seventh place with $17 million
Jimmy Buffett ($14 million), Bob Marley ($13 million), and John Lennon ($12 million) complete the top ten. Prince and Arnold Palmer (each with $11 million) and Kobe Bryant ($10 million) follow closely behind.
Over the past quarter-century, Michael Jackson has been the top-earning deceased celebrity, amassing $3.5 billion since his death, according to Forbes. Elvis Presley ranks second with $1.2 billion during that period.
This story was written with the assistance of AI.
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