The male stars who make a living out of dying
Death can be ‘an excellent career move’ for celebrities – but only if they are men, research has revealed.
a study of Forbes Magazine’s ‘Dead Rich List’ has revealed the gender pay gap extends beyond the grave.
Dead male celebrities manage to earn far more after dying than female stars, according to the research.
Of 52 famous names listed by Forbes over nearly two decades, only five have been women – Marilyn Monroe, Liz taylor, Bettie Page, Jenni Rivera and Whitney houston. the lack of women on the list is because many have historically not been able to own and control the wealth from their celebrity status, the researchers at York University say.
the list is topped by Michael Jackson, elvis Presley and Peanuts creator Charles Schulz who all earn much more than the women. the richest by far is Michael Jackson who has been in pole position nearly every year since his death in 2009.
In 2016, his annual pay cheque jumped to £637million with the sale of his half of the Sony/atV Music catalogue which owned much of the Beatles’ music.
even last year, when his earnings dropped to their lowest point with renewed abuse allegations, he was earning a cool £46million. But on the girls’ team, its top earner Monroe was battling for eighth place with a £10million annual salary.
the study says men such as elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Kurt Cobain have been much more savvy in drawing up royalty agreements for their work.
So rather than just appearing in films or singing, they also ensured they had a cut of the profits – which have continued long after their deaths.
For example, elvis’s fans continue to boost his income through ticket sales to Graceland and a new £35million entertainment complex called elvis Presley’s Memphis which opened in 2018.
Lead author of the study, Dr Ruth Penfold Mounce said: ‘For some celebrities who have achieved iconic status, death does not signal the end of their commercial success. In fact, it can be an excellent career move.
‘Women however, still do not have the posthumous career success their male counterparts have enjoyed.
‘In life, the careers of iconic famous women like Marilyn Monroe and audrey hepburn were often controlled by male agents. this meant their talents were not the key source for the production of wealth for them, but rather a means of generating wealth for others.
‘this research shows how this inequality continues in death, limiting women’s posthumous earnings.’