Kurt Cobain tops Elvis in earnings

Rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley ceded his crown as the top-earning dead celebrity to Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain.

Forbes.com said Cobain earned $50 million between October 2005 and October 2006. Presley wound up in the No. 2 slot with $42 million. Forbes.com bases its dollar amounts on licensing deals for using the deceased celebrities’ work or image in advertising or elsewhere.

This was Cobain’s first time on the list. Presley has topped the list since its inception six years ago.

Cobain’s status was a result of his widow, singer Courtney Love, selling a 25% stake in Nirvana’s song catalog to New York music publishing company PrimeWave.

Rounding out the top five were “Peanuts” comic strip creator Charles Schulz at $35 million, Beatle John Lennon at $24 million and physicist Albert Einstein at $20 million. Einstein’s estate profited from such deals as the “Baby Einstein” educational videos.