Jacko Knew He'd Die Young: Lisa Marie

Michael Jackson tops the list again

(NEWSER) - When you’re a celebrity, dying doesn’t have to mean you stop making money. Forbes offers up its annual list of the top-earning celebs of the past year:

1. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop is in the top spot for the second year in a row, earning $170 million thanks to music sales, his stake in the Sony/ATV catalog, and a new Cirque du Soleil tour.
2. Elvis Presley: The King of Pop is followed by the King of Rock ’n’ Roll, who earned $55 million, much of which came from Graceland admissions. A Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas didn’t hurt, either.
3. Marilyn Monroe: A resurgence in popularity is partly to thank for her $27 million in earnings; for example, she was featured in an ad for J’Adore fragrance, and soon she’ll be getting her own line of cafes.
4. Charles Schulz: The Peanuts creator earned $25 million as his creations found themselves coming into the digital age via a video game, e-books, and a Facebook app, among other things.
5. John Lennon: The Beatles sold 1.6 million albums last year after finally arriving in the iTunes Store, which may have something to do with Lennon’s $12 million in earnings. Also helping? Yet another Cirque show.

But even she 'didn't understand' relationship

(NEWSER) - Just like the rest of us, Lisa Marie Presley “didn’t understand” her relationship with Michael Jackson, she tells Oprah Winfrey in a new interview. Presley opens up about her two-year romance with the King of Pop for the first time, and insists that their romance was real, PopEater reports. “I honestly can tell you, it was every sense a normal marriage,” she says. "One of the very highest points of my life was when things were going really well and he and I were united together.” More»

'Tasteful yet profitable' marketing of singer's death rakes in $1B

(NEWSER) - Estate of Elvis Presley, watch out: You may yet be eclipsed by Michael Jackson. Jackson died on the brink of financial collapse, but a year later his estate is booming. Last year he sold 8.3 million albums in the US—more than any other artist—and the posthumously released movie Michael Jackson's This Is It grossed $261 million worldwide. The estate has made an estimated $1 billion over the last year, but observers disagree on whether Jackson's on track to surpass Presley as the ultimate entertainment estate. More»

Company donates thousands after Lisa Marie's plea

(NEWSER) - Thousands of sunflowers will be delivered to Michael Jackson's LA-area burial site today, TMZ reports. After ex Lisa Marie Presley complained on MySpace that Jacko deserved more than the smattering of flowers that sit outside his tomb, the owner of Sunflowerguy.com stepped up with a plan to ship thousands of the yellow flowers—Michael's fave—to the King of Pop's mausoleum at Forest Lawn Cemetery. More»

Michael Jackson, predictably, made the list—but not at No. 1

(NEWSER) - The stars on Forbes ' annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities number, appropriately, 13. To make the list, a "deleb" must have brought in at least $6 million in the past year. This year's list is notably missing former mainstays Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Steve McQueen, and puts a fashion designer in the top spot:

1. Yves Saint Laurent: $350 million
2. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein: $235 million combined
3. Michael Jackson: $90 million
4. Elvis Presley: $55 million
5. JRR Tolkien: $50 million