Kobe Bryant Makes Highest-Paid Deceased Celebrity List

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant Makes Highest-Paid Deceased Celebrity List

Forbes has released its latest annual list of top-earners, but to some, his entrance on the list is considered to be too soon.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who sadly perished in a horrific helicopter crash in January, ranks 6th on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Dead Celebrities of 2020 list. Still, some of Kobe Bryant’s fans feel it’s a little early to have him named on a list of this kind as his widow, Vanessa Bryant is in the midst of fighting a wrongful death case against the company that owned the helicopter he, their 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant, and the seven other passengers were flying in that fateful morning.

Much of the income made by the estate is a result of the increase in purchases of Nike’s Kobe Bryant merchandise as well as the sales of the Los Angeles Lakers star’s autobiography, “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.” That book has sold more than 300,000 copies. It’s also being reported that the actual bulk of the $20 million earned by the estate specifically came from the estimated sales of $250 million for Nike’s Mamba-themed apparel and shoes.

Other notable names on the list included iconic Grammy-winning performer Michael Jackson who topped the list with estate earnings of $48 million and Dr. Seuss, who came in at the number two spot earning $33 million. Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the “Peanuts” comic strip that featured Charlie Brown and Snoopy, was named the third-highest deceased celebrity earner with his estate obtaining $32.5 million.

Juice Wrld

Another addition was the estate of rapper Juice WRLD who died after an accidental overdose in December of 2019 just a few months after the release of his second album, “Death Race for Love.” The rapper’s estate brought in $15 million after a significant increase in streams of his music, putting him at number 7 on the list.

What do you think about Kobe Bryant being on the list? Sound off in the comments!