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Tom Petty joins John Lennon, David Bowie and others on “Forbes” magazine’s list of top-earning dead celebrities

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Andrew Chin/Getty Images for ABATom Petty passed away less than a month ago, but the beloved rocker already has made it onto Forbes‘ annual list of the top-earning deceased celebrities. Petty has landed at #6 on the tally, with earnings of $20 million.

Since Forbes‘ list includes earnings from October 15, 2016, to October 15, 2017, Tom’s income includes the money he made from his past year touring with his band The Heartbreakers.

Michael Jackson is the #1 top-earning celebrity on the list for the fifth year in a row, after bringing in $75 million.  This year, the King of Pop’s bottom line was boosted by an animated Halloween special, and the new compilation album Scream.  That’s in addition to the MJ-themed Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas, record sales and income from his share of EMI Music’s publishing catalog.

Other departed musicians in the top 10 of Forbes‘ tally include Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Prince and John Lennon. Presley ranks #4 with earnings of $35 million; Marley is at #5 with $23 million; Prince earned $18 million to finish at #7; and Lennon landed at #9 after earning $12 million.

Just outside of the top 10 of the Forbes list is David Bowie, who finished at #11 for the second straight year. He earned $9.5 million.

Here are the top 11 top-earning deceased celebrities on Forbes‘ 2017 list, and their estimated earnings:

1. Michael Jackson, $75 million
2. Arnold Palmer, $40 million (golfer)
3. Charles M. Schulz, $38 million (Peanuts creator)
4. Elvis Presley, $35 million
5. Bob Marley, $23 million
6. Tom Petty, $20 million
7. Prince, $18 million
8. Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, $16 million (children’s book author)
9. John Lennon, $12 million
10. Albert Einstein, $10 million (physicist)
11. David Bowie, $9.5 million

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