Dead Celebrities: What They're Worth Today

Selling the images of dead celebrities is a very lucrative business. Michael Jackson generates as much cash dead as he did when he was alive, and the same can be said for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and Dr Seuss. Most of the revenue is being generated by savvy marketing companies who buy the rights to license celebrity's images from their heirs. Given the right product, the right fit and the perfect timing, and many of these celebrities can be brought back to life in the minds of consumers, resulting in a revenue stream that living artists can only dream of.

This week Elvis fans gathered at his Graceland property to mark the 35th anniversary of his death. The marketing company that bought the rights to his image from his widow, Priscilla Presley, has put a lot of effort into finding new ways of presenting what was a pretty tired image to a new generation of consumers. So today Elvis' image is emblazoned on myriad products, his music still sells, and no doubt there's an Elvis holograph coming to a stage near you.

In honour of the King of Rock and Roll's anniversary, we pulled together a list of the top earning dead celebrities for 2011. Musicians, authors, a cartoonist and a scientist all made the list. Click on the photo below to see who they are:

SLIDESHOW: TOP-EARNING DEAD CELEBRITIES