Michael Jackson Tops Forbes 2025 Highest-Paid Dead Celebs

Written By Lexx Thornton

Michael Jackson, the late King of Pop, continues to reign over the financial charts, leading Forbes’ annual ranking of the highest-paid deceased celebrities. Jackson secured the top spot for the third consecutive year—and the 13th time overall—with an estimated pretax earnings of $105 million over the past year.

Since his death in 2009, Jackson’s estate has reportedly generated more than $3.5 billion from music sales, streaming revenue, licensing deals, and major estate acquisitions.

The annual ranking includes 13 deceased stars whose earnings are calculated from various revenue streams, including music and book sales, streaming royalties, licensing agreements, and finalized estate deals.

Claiming the second position is American author Theodor Seuss Geisel, famously known as Dr. Seuss, whose estate earned an estimated $85 million. The list also features a mix of rock legends, rappers, and sports icons, including Elvis Presley, The Notorious B.I.G., Prince, Kobe Bryant, and Bob Marley.

Here is the full list of Forbes’ 2025 highest-paid deceased celebrities:

1 Michael Jackson (US singer) $105 million

2 Theodor Seuss Geisel (US author) $85 million

3 Richard Wright (British singer) $81 million

4 Syd Barrett (British singer) $81 million

5 Notorious B.I.G (US rapper) $80 million

6 Miles Davis (US trumpeter) $21 million

7 Elvis Presley (US singer) $17 million

8 Jimmy Buffett (US singer) $14 million

9 Bob Marley (Jamaican singer) $13 million

10 John Lennon (US singer) $12 million

11 Prince (US singer) $11 million