(Image source: TopNews)

BY BRICE SANDER

Just in time for Halloween, Forbes Magazine released its list of top earning dead celebrities. So who topped the list this year?

Coming in at number five- Elizabeth Taylor.

She tied with Beatle John Lennon, both bringing in $12 million.

Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz comes in at number four.

And Marilyn Monroe sneaks in at third, with $27 million.

Two music kings finish off the list- Elvis at second.

And King of Pop Michael Jackson at number one.

Jackson made more than $170 million dollars in the last year. USA Today explains just how big of a number that is-

“…it’s enough to make him the second- highest-earning pop act over the past year, dead or alive, after U2.”

To get on the list, celebs had to make more than $6 million between October 2010 and October 2011. A Forbes editor offers some insight into how they rake in the dough from the great beyond.  

DOROTHY POMERANTZ: “What we’re seeing is that a company called Authentic Brand Groups, which also manages Bob Marley, bought the rights to Marilyn Monroe’s estate and they are trying to really re-do her image … it just goes to show, if you had a big impact in your life and you created enough, creatively, you’re going to continue to earn a lot of money well after you’ve passed away.”

So why are we so interested in celebs making money even after they have passed? A Cinema Blend blogger offers a suggestion.

“It's ghoulish, but also more than a little entertaining, to check in each year on the list of highest-earning dead celebrities. Maybe I just hope that eventually my ancestors will be making a mint off of me long after I'm gone…”

But as the professionals on NBC’s Today argue, our morbid fascination sometimes crosses a line.

MATT LAUER: “Only in America. John Lennon’s rotten tooth is on sale- up for auction for $16,000. Apparently was given to his housekeeper back in the 1960s.”
STAR JONES: “See, Lindsay’s teeth are gonna be just fine.”
MATT LAUER: “30 seconds left- Donny, you up? You bidding?”
STAR JONES: “Creepy!”
DONNY DEUTSCH: “By the way, I got out of the bidding at $14,000.”
NANCY SNIDERMAN: “What is it? Buy it now- $16,000.”
MATT LAUER: “I mean, really creepy.”
NANCY SNIDERMAN: “Yeah, it’s really creepy. While we’re talking about things like that, Sadaam Hussein had his tooth extracted and his finger cut off for identification. Who’s holding on to that stuff?”

To see a full list of the top earning dead celebrities, click our transcript section.

Full List: Top Dead Celebrity Money Makers