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.

2023 list
The 2023 list:

2022 list
The 2022 list:

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

2021 list
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 (£500m). Dahl's heirs held at least a 75% stake before the company was acquired.

2020 list
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2019 list
The 2019 list:

2018 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.

2017 list
The 2017 list:

2016 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.

2015 list
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2014 list
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2013 list
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2012 list
The 2012 list:

2011 list
The 2011 list:

2010 list
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2009 list
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2008 list
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2007 list
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2006 list
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2005 list
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2004 list
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2003 list
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2002 list
The 2002 list:

2001 list
The 2001 list: