Forbes list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities

This is a list of the world's highest-paid dead celebrities as ranked by Forbes magazine since October 2001.

Tolkien earned $500 million from the sale of Middle-Earth Enterprises.

[3] The 2021 list:[5] 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 (£500m).

Dahl's heirs held at least a 75% stake before the company was acquired.

[10] The 2017 list:[11][12] The 2016 list:[13] 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.

Michael Jackson earned $825 million in 2016, the highest earnings for a celebrity dead or alive in any year. Since his death in mid-2009, he has topped the list every year except for 2009, 2012, and 2021–22.
Elizabeth Taylor earned $219 million in 2012.
Elvis Presley earned $52 million in 2008.
Kurt Cobain earned $50 million in 2006, after the sale of the Nirvana song catalogue.