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Cobain at #1 spot on “top-earning dead celebrity” list (Biggie and Tupac not mentioned)

Contributed by Nick_V. Posted by chris on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at 11:30 AM (EDT)

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.

News (68 comments)

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

waterpoo (October 25, 2006)

interesting.

RyanRockwell (October 25, 2006)

agreed, some of the others mentioned I would have thought would come ebfore him, odd! You learn something new!

Alcus (October 25, 2006)

I can't believe Elvis is that high up...how is his music still bringin in that much money??? royalties???

RyanRockwell (October 25, 2006)

probably, he's one of those artists that every new generation get's introduced to, i'm sure he still sells plenty of albums, and you have to think worldy to, not just here.

Alcus (October 25, 2006)

true

OctEgon (October 25, 2006)

Black people LOVE Elvis

Someone (October 25, 2006)

ok that was pointless. go put your sheet back over your head. elvis is the king of rock. if that doesn't explain it then you are retarded.

RightCliqificus (October 25, 2006)

Elvis didn't write any of his own music or lyrics. He basically WAS the britney spears of his time.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

top earners = most punkest

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

Skipping english class to post on punknews, eh?

Someone (October 25, 2006)

weak comeback

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

I don't really care that much but I'm just wondering why Johnny Cash gets a page in the 'band's' section but Bob Marley doesn't?

Someone (October 25, 2006)

Because Johnny Cash could kick the shit out of Marley any fuckin' day.

Seriously, fuck Marley.

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

Yeah, thanks that really clears it up!

Someone (October 25, 2006)

You have a such a strong arguement there, that explains it perfectly.

sickboi (chris) (October 25, 2006)

Profile pages are based on albums reviewed here. There are profile pages for the tiniest bands, assuming they've had something reviewed here. (doesn't mean the page has much info)

So, review a Marley release, he'll get a page.

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

That makes perfect sense. I didn't really think anyone who worked on the site had time to sit there with an encyclopedia of music and decide who get's a page.

sickboi (chris) (October 25, 2006)

You'd be suprised at some of the things Aubin does.

Mute98 (October 25, 2006)

not true, ive seen band pages with no reviews

sickboi (chris) (October 25, 2006)

For the bigger bands, yes. I'm saying for anything on the fringe, it will guarantee a page.

skankin_in_the_pit (October 25, 2006)

I've seen a bunch of band pages with no reviews. Off the top of my head I know GitoGito Hustler is one.

I'd say the site is not complete until both Bob Marley and Black Sabbath have band profiles. But that's just me.

RightCliqificus (October 25, 2006)

neither of which is punk, accept for when sabbath had dio as the frontman. that was awesome. lets face it, the mob rules.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

Does it piss anyone else off that dead people (in some cases people that have been dead for over 10, 20, 30 years) STILL make more money than you in a year?

I make $45k, and that dead a-hole makes $50 fucking milllion?

Insane.

the_other_scott (October 25, 2006)

you make 45k a year? that's a lot more than i do

Someone (October 25, 2006)

If you sucked more dicks at your job you'd make more

Scruffy (October 25, 2006)

Yeah, for real. You make more than my wife and I put together. Stop whining.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

Well, I guess you and your wife are low life bums.

Too bad.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

You and your wife should have graduated high school you are both pathetic

Someone (October 25, 2006)

how do you hold it down both working at mcdonalds?

Someone (October 25, 2006)

Well, it pisses me off that some anonymous a-hole on the internet makes more than I do. Does that help?

Someone (October 25, 2006)

$45k is not punk. sellout

the_other_scott (October 25, 2006)

fuck kurt cobain. he fucking deserves to be exploited.

heroin addicts who have a kid and a wife and fucking kiil themselves aren't that cool in my book.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

Word.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

get your stories straight then judge... asshole.

punkbytheounce (October 25, 2006)

yeah dude, like, Courtney totally paid that guy to do it, it's all outlined in that completely unbiased book Who Killed Kurt Cobain?

Someone (October 25, 2006)

So, all the pretentious assholes visit punknews before noon, huh?

RyanRockwell (October 25, 2006)

i'm not pretentious!

OctEgon (October 25, 2006)

I'm not pretentious. I just like to talk about how I meet impossible standards

Someone (October 25, 2006)

yep, you got here with 2 minutes to spare.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

make that 12

waterpoo (October 25, 2006)

courtney killed kurt cobian. all the evidence is there. i don't beleive theyre letting her keep this money. if i was his wife, i wouldnt have killed him.

coffinfullofnails (October 25, 2006)

exactly

Sirens (October 25, 2006)

:(

Jimmy_the_Saint (October 25, 2006)

I've heard that Albert Einstein is still a top earner because the line of Einstein Baby products pays the Einstein family for use of the name.

I wonder if Joe Strummer is anywhere on the list for Clash music catalogue publishing.

corporatecriminal (October 25, 2006)

I was just going to ask how Einstein was raking it in.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

did they not include biggie and pac cuz they have the proof they are really alive?...and how can elvis be on that list he lives!

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

Charles Schulz at $35 million...Albert Einstein at $20 million, further proving that a sense of humor is more lucrative than intelligence!

Scruffy (October 25, 2006)

Yeah, but MTV has proven that having a nice rack and/or hitting a niche market is better than either of those.

notfeelingcreative (October 25, 2006)

Which, I believe, is quite possibly the cause of my chronic nausea!

ramo (October 25, 2006)

Of course he's going to be the top selling dead celebrity. They're releasing Nirvana demos and box sets out the poop shoot now for the past 5 years.

I miss Charles Schulz everytime I see a "Peanuts" reference in Arrested Development and The Office.

Ramo

Someone (October 25, 2006)

george michael (and later tobias) doing the sad charlie brown walk for the nguyen.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

yeah, its not like they dont merchandise the hell out of Peanuts or anything.

coffinfullofnails (October 25, 2006)

Why didn't they include Tupac and Biggie, I'm sure one of them would be on that list. I mean Tupac still has records that are selling and a clothing line with his face all over it.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

um maybe becaise they probably dont make that much money. trying to play the race card eh?

OctEgon (October 25, 2006)

Courtney can buy a lot of drugs with that money

punkbytheounce (October 25, 2006)

"SHE'S CLEAN"
Remember the roast of Pamela Anderson, where that was like all she could say.

punkbytheounce (October 25, 2006)

"SHE'S CLEAN"
Remember the roast of Pamela Anderson, where that was like all she could say.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

that was the most uncomfortable five minutes when she spoke at that roast.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

This dying business isn't the end to a career that it used to be.

Scruffy (October 25, 2006)

"Biggie and Tupac not mentioned"

Because they're still alive!!! Or undead. Either way.

coffinfullofnails (October 25, 2006)

Well what about Elvis ?

Scruffy (October 25, 2006)

Elvis is dead. I killed him last May. Shhhhh.

coffinfullofnails (October 25, 2006)

oh....what happened in may?*wink*

punkbytheounce (October 25, 2006)

There's no apostrophe in Forbes.

Someone (October 25, 2006)

But there's always money in the banana stand.

PUNKTED (October 25, 2006)

Mr. Cobain would be so proud.

Icapped2pac (October 25, 2006)

Fuck 2pac.

Most overrated musical artist in any genre ever.

SlackMFr (October 25, 2006)

He does suck goat nuts. Most rap does.

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