1911 photo of Tolkien; photomontage.
Oxford philology professor and occasional fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien was the fifth highest-earning dead celebrity in 2009, two spots behind newcomer Michael Jackson, according to Forbes Magazine.
With an estimated $50 million in income to his estate in the last 12 months, Tolkien beat out Peanuts creator Charles Schulz ($35 million); peace chance-giver John Lennon ($15 million); childrens' author and cartoonist Theodor Seuss Geisel ($15 million); and global warming denier Michael Crichton ($9 million).
The top five were rounded out by overrated rock pioneer Elvis Presley ($55 million); pedophile (alleged) Jackson ($90 million); non-gay musical theater trailblazers Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein ($235 million); and extremely gay fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent ($350 million).
Forbes says that the settlement reached in the Tolkien Trust's lawsuit against New Line Cinema totaled over $100 million.
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