What? You Thought It Was Liberace?

Michael Jackson earned about $160 million in the last year, making him the top-earning dead celebrity of 2013, as well as the top-earning celebrity period, since his estate’s accumulation of wealth even bested Madonna’s $125 million income. The “Thriller” hitmaker’s wealth nearly tripled runner-up Elvis Presley’s $55 million on Forbes‘ annual list of posthumous celebrity wealth. Most of Jackson’s money from beyond the grave comes courtesy of two Cirque du Soleil shows, “Immortal” and “One” — the former of which has grossed over $300 million since opening last year. The rest of the Jackson estate’s fortune comes from his music and his half of the Sony-ATV catalog that owns hits from The Beatles and Lady Gaga.

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