This is a list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities as ranked by Forbes magazine since October 2001.
The 2025 list:
The 2024 list:
The 2023 list:
The 2022 list:
J.R.R. Tolkien earned $500 million from the sale of Middle-Earth Enterprises.
The 2021 list:
Netflix announced the acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company, which manages the rights to Roald Dahl's stories and characters, for a fee of $684 million (ã500m). Dahl's heirs held at least a 75% stake before the company was acquired.
The 2020 list:
The 2019 list:
The 2018 list:
Michael Jackson brought in $287 million from the sale of his estate's stake in Sony/ATV Music Publishing to Sony.
The 2017 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 Sony/ATV Music Publishing catalogue.
The 2015 list:
The 2014 list:
The 2013 list:
The 2012 list:
The 2011 list:
The 2010 list:
The 2009 list:
The 2008 list:
The 2007 list:
The 2006 list:
The 2005 list:
The 2004 list:
The 2003 list:
The 2002 list:
The 2001 list: