Top earning dead Celebrities 2012 [VIDEO], The thirteen celebrities who make up this year’s Top-Earning Dead Celebrities list earned a total $532.5 million in the past 12 months.
Forbes compiled the ranking by analyzing the dead celebrities’ earnings between October 2011-2012.
Their second ranked celebrity, Michael Jackson, still earns big from his own music and his stake in Sony‘s ATV catalogue which includes music from The Beatles, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift.
Jackson, who died in 2009, dropped into second place with earnings of $145 million, followed by Elvis Presley with $55 million.
But the top ranked celebrity, Elizabeth Taylor, landed in the No. 1 position thanks to a huge Christie’s auction.
The star’s jewelry, costumes and art collection were sold off over several days in New York and London. The most expensive being a Van Gogh painting which sold for $16 million.
In addition to the Taylor auction, which totaled $184 million, the actress, who passed away in 2011 at the age of 79, also earned $75 million from sales of her top selling perfume White Diamonds.
