Prince and David Bowie have entered the list of the top-earning dead celebrities.

David Bowie

David Bowie

The iconic duo passed away earlier this year and have gone straight into the chart compiled by Forbes and is based on pre-tax income, before management and legal expenses.

Sales of Prince albums soared in the immediate aftermath of his death from an accidental drug overdose in April.

The 'Purple Rain' star is listed at number five in the chart, with estimated earnings of $25m for 2016.

Meanwhile, Bowie - who passed away in January - earned $10.5m for the 12-month period, according to Forbes.

However, the new entrants' earnings were still easily eclipsed by those of Michael Jackson, who passed away in 2009.

The 'Thriller' star raked in a whopping $825m in earnings for the 12 months ending October 1.

The bulk of the music legend's earnings stemmed from the

$750m sale of Jackson's remaining stake in the Sony/ATV music publishing catalog, which includes the rights to numerous Beatles songs.

Other big-name celebrities who features in the Forbes listed included Elvis Presley, who achieved earnings of $27m, as well as sports star Arnold Palmer, who is third on the list with earnings of $40m.

Elsewhere, Beatles legend John Lennon, who was murdered in 1980 age 40, is reported to have made $12 million for the year, while original pin-up Bettie Page is at number ten, with earnings reported to be worth $11 million.


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