12 People Who Died Rich and Only Got Richer After That
![12 People Who Died Rich and Only Got Richer After That](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/2/9/900229_320x180.jpg)
The passive income that just keeps giving! Years (sometimes decades) after an artist has passed away, their work is still enjoyed by millions of people around the world. And, if they or the people around them were half-decent in the business realm, that can equate to a metric ton of money. The word “estate” has a regal vibe, doesn’t it? We can’t help but read it in a Jeeves-style voice, or maybe as a yacht rock radio DJ. It’s not only the realm of their mansion, guest houses, and “grounds” (ooh, fancy), it’s an overall financial hub that can grow long after they die.
After the rich and powerful kick the rich and powerful bucket, the lucky sons of bitches who were named beneficiaries will most likely see a spike in royalties right off the hop. Because when we hear that a beloved artist has passed, we wanna give their hits a once over while we pour one out. After that, whatever revenue streams they had in place are luckily still flowing into the afterlife. And for some, those post-mortem numbers are just staggering. Here are 12 people who died rich and kept getting a whole lot richer… From beyond the grave.
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2021 was a good year for the Dahl estate.
![GRACKED ROALD DAHL FOUND HIS GOLDEN TICKET 31 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. In 2021, 31 years after he died, Netflix paid $684 million for movies like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda and more. His estate made $513 million - by far the highest paid dead celebrity of 2021.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/4/1/900241.jpg)
More like “Green Rain.”
![CRACKED PRINCE'S HEIRS CASHED IN. With album sales skyrocketing since his passing in 2016, Prince raked in $120 million in 2021 after his siblings sold 43% of the estate (including his catalog with hits like When Doves Cry and Little Red Corvette).](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/4/0/900240.jpg)
One estate to rule them all.
![CRACKED J.R.R. TOLKIEN MADE HALF A BILLION DOLLARS 50 YEARS AFTER НЕ DIED. Не passed away in 1973, but topped Forbes list of the Highest Paid Dead Celebrities in 2022 after the Embracer Group paid $500 million for Middle Earth Enterprises.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/9/900239.jpg)
The undisputed King.
![GRACKED MICHAEL JACKSON IS THE HIGHEST EARNING DEAD CELEBRITY OF ALL TIME. In 2016, he earned $825 million - the highest yearly earnings for any celebrity dead or alive. In total, he has raked in roughly $2.6 billion since his death in 2009.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/5/900235.jpg)
He invested wisely.
![CRACKED KOBE BRYANT ALMOST MADE IT TO A MASSIVE PAYOUT. LAKERS Не was an investor in Bodyarmor SuperDrink, and in November 2021 (less than 2 years after his death) his estate earned $400 million after Coca-Cola bought it for $5.6 billion.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/0/900230.jpg)
Time to clean out the attic.
![CRACKED DAVID BOWIE'S HITS FOUND A NEW HOME. In 2022, his estate sold his global music publishing rights to Warner Chappell Music for over $250 million. The sale included songs like Starman, Heroes and Ziggy Stardust.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/7/900237.jpg)
The new millennium has been kind to the King.
![CRACKED ELVIS EARNED ALMOST $1 BILLION SINCE THE YEAR 2000. At the time of his death in 1977, Elvis Presley's net worth was around $5 million, but his estate has earned roughly $924 million in the 21st century so far. His albums continue to sell, and Graceland alone brings in over $10 million per year.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/8/900238.jpg)
Let this be a lesson to you multi-millionaires!
![CRACKED JAMES BROWN LEFT A VAGUE WILL. Five of his children and other possible heirs have been fighting for control of his estate since his death in 2006. In 2022, Primary Wave bought his music rights for 90 million, and his kids will just have to keep fighting for it.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/6/900236.jpg)
Six decades later, Beatlemania is still raging.
![CRACKED JOHN LENNON PAVED ABBEY ROAD IN GOLD. Не died in 1980, but his estate has generated at least $346 million from 2001 to 2021 alone, thanks to royalties, merchandise, licensing fees, and more.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/4/900234.jpg)
Yves-rything must go!
![CRACKED YVES SAINT LAURENT'S POSTHUMOUS AUCTION. After his death in 2008, his partner Pierre Berge opted to auction their art collection and belongings for $491 million. Berge said, I hope that everything we loved so passionately will find a home with other collectors.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/1/900231.jpg)
His fortune was anything but peanuts.
![CRACKED CHARLES SCHULZ MADE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN PEANUTS. Since his death in 2000, the Charlie Brown creator has generated a total of $730.5 million. $157 million of that came in 2020, then another $204 million in 2021.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/3/900233.jpg)
His classics are passed down generation to generation.
![CRACKED DR. SEUSS' SALES AREN'T SLOWING DOWN. THE CAT IN THE HAT His estate was worth $75 million when he died in 1991, and since then, the movies based on his books, the books themselves, and merchandise earn him anywhere from 9 to 33 million dollars per year.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/2/3/2/900232.jpg)