福布斯已故名人收入榜 傑克遜居首
Michael Jackson's sudden death sparked an outpouring of grief around the world, but fans also opened their wallets to make him this year's top-earning dead celebrity with $275 million, Forbes said on Monday.
Jackson raked in more than the combined total of the other 12 celebrities on the list, Forbes magazine said. He was ranked third on last year's list with $90 million.
Elvis Presley came in second, earning $60 million 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'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," said Forbes writer Lacey Rose.
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 $500 million.
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.
"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," said Rose.
"The Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien, whose trilogy of novels was made into films by director Peter Jackson, came in at No. 3 on the Forbes list with earnings of $50 million, while Charles Schulz, the creator of Charlie Brown and Snoopy, came in fourth with $33 million.
Former Beatle John Lennon, who would have turned 70 this year, was ranked No. 5 with an income of $17 million.
A deceased celebrity needed to earn at least $5 million between October 1, 2009 and October 1, 2010 to make this year's list, Forbes said.
《福布斯》雜誌週一稱，儘管邁克爾•傑克遜的突然離世讓全世界的人們感到哀傷，然而歌迷們的慷慨解囊卻讓他成爲本年度收入最高的已故名人，收入達2.75億美元。
《福布斯》雜誌透露，傑克遜所賺的錢比榜單上其他12位名人的收入總和加起來還多。去年他以9000萬美元的收入位居榜單第三。
貓王埃爾維斯•普萊斯利位居第二，收入達6000萬美元。其中一部分收入來自他的故居雅園的參觀費。如今雅園成了一座博物館，也是納西州孟菲斯市的旅遊勝地。另外一部分收入來自太陽馬戲團紀念貓王的演出劇目的收入，以及200多項許可協議和商業交易的收入。
《福布斯》的撰稿人萊西•羅斯說：“如今傑克遜的歌迷們對他的音樂、影像以及和他有關的一切事物又重新燃起了興趣，因此傑克遜高居已故名人收入榜的榜首應該也是意料之中的事。”
去年6月25號，就在傑克遜即將去倫敦舉行他計劃好的復出系列演唱會時，他在洛杉磯家中與世長辭，享年50歲。這位歌星留下了三個孩子，還有5億美元的債務。
然而在他死後，他的遺產卻帶來了數以百萬計的收入，大部分是來自唱片銷售、演唱會電影《就是這樣》、版權費、發佈新專輯的交易，以及太陽馬戲團在拉斯維加斯上演的劇目的收入。
羅斯說：“由於有這麼多獲利的項目，再加上熱門電影和專輯的銷售，這位已故流行天王在過去一年賺的錢比Lady Gaga、麥當娜和傑斯的收入加起來還多。”
《指環王》的作者J•R•R•托爾金在這一福布斯榜單上位居第三，收入達5000萬美元。托爾金的小說三部曲《指環王》曾由導演彼得•傑克遜改編成電影。而漫畫人物查理•布朗和史努比的創造者查爾斯•舒爾茨則排在第四位，收入達3300萬美元。
前甲殼蟲樂隊成員約翰•列儂排在第五位，收入達1700萬美元。列儂如果健在，今年將滿70歲了。
《福布斯》稱，已故名人至少需要在2009年10月1日到2010年10月1日期間賺到500萬美元才能登上本年度的榜單。
Vocabulary:
comeback: if a person in public life makes a comeback, they start doing something again which they had stopped doing, or they become popular again（復出；重返；再度受歡迎）
