Yves St. Laurent Tops Dead Celebrity Money List

28 October 2009 2:54 PM, PDT | Studio Briefing - Film News | See recent Studio Briefing - Film News news »

The late fashion designer Yves St. Laurent has jumped to the top of Forbes magazine's "Top-Earning Dead Celebrities" list thanks to a one-time estate sale last February that netted $443 million. With a total of around $90 million, Michael Jackson came in at No. 3 on the list, mostly as a result of the $60 million advance that Sony Films paid to his estate and concert promoter Aeg for the rights to his concert rehearsal footage for the This Is It! movie. Still the figure paled in comparison with the $225 million that the legendary Broadway composers Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein earned last year. Coming in fourth was Elvis Presley, with $55 million. Lord of the Rings writer J.R.R. Tolkien rounded out the top five with $50 million. Forbes noted that several "mainstays" on its dead celebrities list fell off this year, including Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Steve McQueen. "These icons couldn't keep up with their peers," it noted. »

Similar News Items

• Michael Jackson's Letter To Lisa Marie Presley Pulled From Auction (From Huffington Post. 30 May 2012, 1:40 PM, PDT)
• Michael Jackson's Sleepless Letter to Lisa Marie Presley Pulled From Auction (From E! Online - UK. 30 May 2012, 12:58 PM, PDT)
• Michael Jackson's Sleepless Letter to Lisa Marie Presley Pulled From Auction (From E! Online. 30 May 2012, 12:58 PM, PDT)

• Lawrence Schiller's best shot (From The Guardian - Film News. 30 May 2012, 4:05 PM, PDT)
• Jude Law as Douglas Fairbanks: Good Idea? (From Alt Film Guide. 30 May 2012, 3:09 PM, PDT)
• Sex Bomb Babies: Miss Marilyn Monroe - Toddlers & Tiaras (Video) (From Monsters and Critics. 30 May 2012, 11:19 AM, PDT)

• Chazz Palminteri: The Hollywood Interivew (From The Hollywood Interview. 26 May 2012, 1:17 PM, PDT)
• Bruce Willis Shares Fatherhood Wisdom (From WENN. 22 May 2012, 9:11 AM, PDT)
• TV review: UEFA Champions League Final: Bayern Munich v Chelsea (From The Guardian - TV News. 20 May 2012, 4:05 PM, PDT)

IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.