I'm curious what you all think... Movies, music, etc.
Van Gogh? I know as a boy when I read a small book and read on the last page that he shot himself, it turned a spark inside of me. Suicide didn't exist to me until I read that book (there was a sale if you bought three at our local supermarket; I also got Gandhi and Mozart)
Michael Jackson. He was always in debt, but he still takes in lots of money.
shareI was just about to say this. I can't think of a better example than MJ. I believe he is the highest earning dead celebrity of all time.
He was in so much debt when he was alive that it took his death to get out of it.
Is a legacy all about $$$ though?
Surely reputation comes in to play and you can’t say MJ’s reputation has improved upon his death, with allegations against him resurfacing and radio stations cutting him from playlists on principal.
The first celebrities I thought of when I read the OP were James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Death lifted them from stars to icons.
All of the people who have accused MJ of anything have been liars, who keep losing their cases in court.
Furthermore, the size of his fanbase has not decreased at all.
It’s not for me to say who’s lying, I wasn’t there. Were you Bubbles?
I’d say there was a time before his death when he was the number 1 artist on the planet. Currently sitting at 75th most streamed artist on Spotify so maybe increased fan base or maybe not so much.
I’m a fan though, just one who doesn’t think death did him any solids. Chamon you know it’s true.
I do agree, but people still felt sympathy for him. He was taken to court and won, so people feel that he was innocent and wasn't treated fairly.
shareelvis
shareMichael Jackson far outweighs Elvis in earnings.
Here are the 13 top-earning deceased celebrities on Forbes' 2020 list, and their estimated earnings:
1. Michael Jackson, $48 million
2. Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, $33 million
3. Charles M. Schulz, $32.5 million
4. Arnold Palmer, $25 million
5. Elvis Presley, $23 million
6. Kobe Byant, $20 million
7. Juice WRLD, $15 million
8. Bob Marley, $14 million
9. John Lennon, $13 million
10. Prince, $10 million
11. Freddie Mercury, $9 million
12. George Harrison, $8.5 million
13. Marilyn Monroe, $8 million
MJ has earned #1 spot for 8th straight year.
Source: http://abcnewsradioonline.com/music-news/2020/11/16/michael-jackson-tops-forbes-highest-earning-dead-celebrities.html
But in a way, his death spotlighted his crazy drug use, exposing his crazy diet of burnt peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, barely fitting in his jumpsuit in Vegas.
I think it killed the myth he had in the 50s. Sex appeal to banana peel. (hey, it rhymes)
Interesting question.
I get that you are implying that death was a good career move, instead of asking what artist made the most $$$ after death.
I have to go with what I know, since I wasn't alive at the time of most great artists death.
What I know is Kurt Cobain's second album was a flop, and he was in a deep depression/drug abuse situation. Cobain was in danger of being labeled a one album wonder. His suicide in 1994 changed all that and is now regarded as a Rock and Roll God by most critics.
He just shot himself at the right time to be in the "27 club" - for me, that club is Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Robert Johnson.
I was going to mention Jim Morrison, not for the money side of things, but more for his legacy. He was starting to go downhill from a creative point of view and his death came just at the right time (an oxymoron, I know).
shareI actually L.A Woman is their best album, along with The Doors
I just finished my 12th book on Jim, and just got 4 more today.. For later, I guess. I have too many books to choose from, but it's less taxing to watch mindless TV or listening to songs that require no attention span since I've heard them all. Sweet poverty.
I'd add James Dean. I never cared for him, but his death did wonders for his post-career.
shareH. P. Lovecraft was virtually unknown in his lifetime; it was only after his death that his literature became famous.
shareSharon Tate. Had she not been murdered by Charlie's Mansonettes, she'd probably be forgotten today.
sharegood one
shareI disagree. She would be remembered as one of the hot ladies during the 60s/70s, like Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot, Jane Fonda or Vanessa Redgrave.
shareWe'll have to agree to disagree then. I don't know enough about Welch's and Bardot's work to judge, but Vanessa Redgrave had more talent in her left earlobe than Tate ever did. Same goes for Hanoi Jane, even if she was a Commie and a traitor. And the history of Hollywood is full of hot ladies who work a while and are forgotten afterward. Barbara Parkins, who was in Valley Of The Dolls with Tate, was quite a hottie in her day and worked on and off into the late 1990s, but I doubt if younger people recognize the name. Other than Trekkies, does anyone recall Sherry Jackson? And does anyone at all remember Margaret Teele?
share[deleted]
Maybe Buddy Holly? Also Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Elvis, Jim Morrison, Heath Ledger, Robin Williams
shareYou know, I was just reading an old newspaper from 1967, and the author interviewed fans, and they thought Jim Morrison was a god.
One of the most fascinating humans ever. One of my favorites, anyway.