Still worth his weight in gold: Stunning new image of King of Pop Jacko (as it's revealed he earned £175m last year)

By Daily Mail Reporter


Michael Jackson has been named this year's top-earning dead celebrity, with earnings of nearly £175million.

The singer, who died aged 50 in June 2009, earned a staggering £173million over the past twelve months - more than pop stars Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jay-Z combined.

His earnings were also more than the other 12 celebrities on the Forbes list, which included John Lennon, Steve McQueen and Elvis Presley.


Shining in gold: This shot of Michael Jackson, taken by Arno Bani, features in the new book Michael Jackson: The Auction, and will be auctioned off in December

Forbes writer Lacey Rose said: 'Jackson's spot atop our top earning dead celebrities list should come as no surprise given the renewed fan interest in music, videos and all things Michael Jackson.

'Thanks to a lucrative catalog, hit film and album sales, the late king of pop earned more in the last year than Lady Gaga, Madonna and Jay-Z, combined.'

Presley came in second, earning £37million from admissions to his former home, Graceland, which is now a museum and tourist attraction in Memphis, Tennessee, a Cirque de Soleil show and more than 200 licensing and merchandise deals.

Jackson was 50 when he died in his Los Angeles home on June 25 last year, shortly before a planned series of comeback concerts in London. The singer left behind three children and a debt of £315million.


Michael Jackson's Blue Eye: This never-before-seen portrait of the late singer will go up for auction alongside 11 other photographs


But his estate has generated millions since his death, mostly through record sales, the This Is It concert movie, licensing rights, deals to release new albums and a Cirque du Soleil stage show in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, new photographs of Jackson have been released in new book Michael Jackson: The Auction ahead of a sale of the pictures in Paris in December.

One of the shots, both taken by French photographer Arno Bani, shows Jackson with super-smooth skin and a round blue patch of glittery make-up around his eye.

The other, which was intended to be the cover for Jackson's 1999 album Invincible, shows the singer wrapped in a shiny gold cape, looking intensely into the camera.

Talking about working with Jackson at the time, Bani said: 'I had carte blanche.
I was young but he was more of a kid than I was. He asked me to dream, to play with haute couture - it was like solving a puzzle.'

The two photographs, along with a selection of other shots all taken by Bani, will be auctioned off by Pierre Bergé auctioneers in Paris on December 13th.

Michael Jackson: The Auction (Thames & Hudson) £15.95 is out now.



source:dailymail