Dollars After Death

You can't take it with you, but you can sure leave a whole lot behind. Some celebrities generate income long after they have passed away. Here are some stars who keep paying off for their heirs or for the companies that own the rights to their legacies.

Sources: theage.com, Netscape Celebrity, USA Today, askmen.com, the Wall Street Journal, music.aol.com, Forbes magazine, Paidcontent.org

Michael Jackson

"King of Pop" Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, in Los Angeles. Within days of his death, three of Jackson's albums were in the top three spots and a record-breaking 2.3 million tracks were downloaded in the U.S. Jackson reportedly had a mountain of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died -- music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come.

Kurt Cobain

Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain, shown performing on June 1, 1993, has generated millions of dollars in profits since he committed suicide in 1994, according to Forbes. It is not just his music that inspires people to take out their wallets, but even such small things as a Christmas card that he drew himself when he was a child. It drew $8,400.

George Harrison

George Harrison, shown performing at New York's Madison Square Garden on Oct. 12, 1992, died of cancer Nov. 30, 2001. He didn't leave as much marketable material as his fellow Beatle, John Lennon, but when he died he was worth $245 million, all of which went to his wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani. Christie's auction house once sold a piece of George's half-eaten toast for thousands of dollars.

John Lennon

With his artwork, his writings and, of course, his music, John Lennon left behind a lot of salable things. His wife, Yoko Ono (shown above with John in Paris March 22, 1969, shortly after they were married), manages his vast estate. John was murdered by a deranged fan Dec. 9, 1980.

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley, shown March 26, 1958, at Fort Chaffee, Ariz., was found dead Aug. 16, 1977, apparently from a drug-induced heart attack, in his bathroom at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. He is among the biggest post-mortem moneymakers among celebrities. Since his death, his name has generated more than $52 million.

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra, shown here in 1968 at Orly Airport in Paris, died of a heart attack May 14, 1998, at the age of 82. The rights to his music and image are split between the children from his first marriage and his fourth wife, Barbara. His estate held in trust is estimated at $200 million, but with re-issues of his CDs and videos, there's probably plenty to go around.

Albert Einstein

Here's physicist Albert Einstein (1879-1955), author of the theory of relativity, playing the violin in 1931. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921, and when he died more than 30 years later, he left his estate and the use of the famous image to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. According to Forbes, the university benefited to the tune of $20 million in 2006 because of Einstein.

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was 71 when he died in a Nashville hospital Sept. 12, 2003 (This photo was taken April 16, 1997, when he performed at the Printemps de Bourges Festival in France). Interest in his life and music peaked soon after his passing because of the release of "Walk the Line" starring Joaquin Phoenix and Resse Witherspoon.

Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe poses for photographers at La Guardia Airport before flying to Chicago for the premiere of "Some Like It Hot" in 1959. It is her status as a cultural icon that keeps Monroe a valuable commodity since her death on Aug. 5, 1962. Her estate generated $8 million in 2006, according to Forbes.

Tupac Shakur

When he died on Sept. 13, 1996, after a drive-by shooting, hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur had about $150,000 in the bank. In 2003, the revenue generated by his estate hovered at $12 million. Although he only made four albums while he lived, many more unreleased tracks have been released since his death, all of them adding to the value of his estate. His mother looks after his posthumous releases.

James Dean

This is James Dean as Jett Rink in a scene from the movie "Giant," taken June 1, 1955. He was killed in a car wreck four months later, only 24 and sealed forever in the public's memory as the young prince of angst. Enjoy the beach towels and the calendars, but don't forget that his image and memory is being tended by CMG Worldwide, an intellectual property rights management company, and not an ethereal teen angel.