Richest dead celebrity? It's not Michael Jackson or Elvis

Posted October 27, 2009 11:00 pm

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- According to Forbes magazine, the richest dead celebrity isn't Michael Jackson.

Although the King of Pop's estate has been big news since his death in June, the top-earning dead celebrity is French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Forbes released its ninth annual poll Wednesday.

According to the magazine, Laurent earned $350 million in the past year. Much of his estate was auctioned off at Christie's in February. Laurent died of brain cancer in June 2008.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein rank second with combined earnings of $235 million, followed by Jackson with $90 million, Elvis Presley with $55 million and J.R.R. Tolkien with $50 million. Charles Schulz, John Lennon, Theodor Geisel, Albert Einstein and Michael Crichton round out the top 10 list.

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