Even in death, Michael Jackson is still the most successful entertainer of all time!According to estimates from Forbes, MJ has earned over $825M in the past 12 months, making him the highest-paid dead celebrity of 2016. Legend. Earnings come mostly from the Jackson estate’s $750m sale of his remaining stake in the Sony/ATV music publishing catalog. Even without it, MJ would still have been the #1 earner in this catalog. Prince ranked fifth place overall with estimated earnings of $25m, just below Elvis Presley, with $27m. David Bowie, meanwhile, ranks 11th for an estimated income of $10.5m.