Elizabeth Taylor died in March 2011and is the top-earning dead celebrity according to Forbes.

With a motto that reads “The Capitalist Tool” Forbes magazine has become the flagship of the Forbes publishing and media company. Published biweekly, the Forbes magazine has earned a reputation as a major competitor to Fortune and Business Week, and while it boosts a prestigious slogan of being a “Home Page for the World's Business Leaders” and “Information for the World's Leaders”, with claims of being the world's most widely visited and trusted business website and magazine, part of its claim to fame is its numerous lists, which range from the Forbes 400 to the 25 Fastest-Growing Tech Companies and the Top 30 under 30.

While the lists cover a variety of categories, such as Wealth, Companies, People, Money & Investing, Places, Sports, Technology, Education, Entertainment, Food & Drink, Health, Real Estate, Style, Travel and Vehicles, one such list tends to grab the more morbidly curious annually. For those who aren't familiar with the Forbes Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, below is a breakdown of some of the 13 top-earning celebrities of the past seven years.

The Forbes 2012 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Elizabeth Taylor, with an estimated annual earning of $210 million

2. Michael Jackson, with an estimated annual earning of $145 million

3. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $55 million

4. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $37 million

5. Bob Marley, with an estimated annual earning of $17 million

6. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $12 million

7. Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

8. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

9. Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

10. Steve McQueen, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

11. Bettie Page, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

12. Richard Rodgers, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

13. George Harrison, with an estimated annual earning of $5.5 million

The Forbes 2011 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Michael Jackson, with an estimated annual earning of $170 million

2. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $55 million

3. Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated annual earning of $27 million

4. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $25 million

5. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $12 million

6. Liz Taylor, with an estimated annual earning of $12 million

7. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

8. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

9. Jimi Hendrix, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

10. Stieg Larsson, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

11. Steve McQueen, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

12. Richard Rodgers, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

13. George Harrison, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

Notable Mentions:

14. Bettie Page, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

15. Andy Warhol, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

The Forbes 2010 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Michael Jackson, with an estimated annual earning of $275 million

2. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $60 million

3. J.R.R. Tolkien, with an estimated annual earning of $50 million

4. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $33 million

5. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $17 million

6. Stieg Larsson, with an estimated annual earning of $15 million

7. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $11 million

8. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

9. George Steinbrenner, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

10. Richard Rodgers, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

11. Jimi Hendrix, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

12. Steve McQueen, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

13. Aaron Spelling, with an estimated annual earning of $5 million

The Forbes 2009 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Yves Saint Laurent, with an estimated annual earning of $350 million

2. Rodgers & Hammerstein, with an estimated annual earning of $235 million

3. Michael Jackson, with an estimated annual earning of $90 million

4. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $55 million

5. J.R.R. Tolkien, with an estimated annual earning of $50 million

6. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $35 million

7. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $15 million

8. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $15 million

9. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

10. Michael Crichton, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

11. Aaron Spelling, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

12. Jimi Hendrix, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

13. Andy Warhol, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

The Forbes 2008 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $52 million

2. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $33 million

3. Heath Ledger, with an estimated annual earning of $20 million

4. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $18 million

5. Aaron Spelling, with an estimated annual earning of $15 million

6. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

7. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

8. Andy Warhol, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

9. Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated annual earning of $6.5 million

10. Steve McQueen, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

11. Paul Newman, with an estimated annual earning of $5 million

12. James Dean, with an estimated annual earning of $5 million

13. Marvin Gaye, with an estimated annual earning of $3.5 million

The Forbes 2007 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $49 million

2. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $44 million

3. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $35 million

4. George Harrison, with an estimated annual earning of $22 million

5. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $18 million

6. Andy Warhol, with an estimated annual earning of $15 million

7. Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $13 million

8. Tupac Shakur, with an estimated annual earning of $9 million

9. Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

10. Steve McQueen, with an estimated annual earning of $6 million

11. James Brown, with an estimated annual earning of $5 million

12. Bob Marley, with an estimated annual earning of $4 million

13. James Dean, with an estimated annual earning of $3.5 million

The Forbes 2006 Top-Earning Dead Celebrities:

1. Kurt Cobain, with an estimated annual earning of $50 million

2. Elvis Presley, with an estimated annual earning of $42 million

3. Charles Schulz, with an estimated annual earning of $35 million

4. John Lennon, with an estimated annual earning of $24 million

5. Albert Einstein, with an estimated annual earning of $20 million

6. Andy Warhol, with an estimated annual earning of $19 million

7. Theodore “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

8. Ray Charles, with an estimated annual earning of $10 million

9. Marilyn Monroe, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

10. Johnny Cash, with an estimated annual earning of $8 million

11. J.R.R. Tolkien, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

12. George Harrison, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

13. Bob Marley, with an estimated annual earning of $7 million

So how is it that these celebrities have managed to earn such a high amount of money in the following years after their deaths? Who Says You Can't Make Money After You Die?

Read More:

Elizabeth Taylor Tops 2012 List of the Top-Earning Celebrities | Forbes.com