According to Forbes Magazine, Kurt Cobain, of the highly influential 90's alt/grunge/punk act Nirvana, has passed Elvis Presley as the "top-earning dead celebrity" on the magazine's yearly list. Cobain's estate earned about $50 million between October 2005 and October 2006. Presley came in second with $42 million.

The dollar amounts are based on licensing deals for using the deceased celebrities' work or image in advertising, product sales or other sources of income. The increase in Cobain's earnings is mostly credited to the sale of 25% of Nirvana's song catalog to PrimeWave, a New York-based publishing firm, by his widow, Courtney Love.

Other recognizables in the list include "Peanuts" cartoon strip creator Charles Schulz at $35 million, John Lennon at $24 million, Albert Einstein at $20 million, Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss), Ray Charles, Marilyn Monroe, Andy Warhol, Johnny Cash and Bob Marley.