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Over the past year Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna and Jay-Zeach each earned more than $50 million. But Michael Jackson earned more than all four--combined.

Fueled by a bonanza of interest following Jackson's death, his estate raked in $275 million over the past 12 months, by our estimates. That's more than enough to earn the King of Pop the top spot on our annual Dead Celebs list; in fact, it's more than the rest of the artists on the list put together, and more than any living artist or group.

Video: Michael Jackson's LA Palace For Sale" The cash flow on an annual basis is tremendous," says Donald David, an estate lawyer who handled the postmortem finances of rapper Tupac Shakur. "Sure, it's going to decline eventually, but it's going to be a huge amount in the foreseeable future. [Jackson's] kids are going to have grandkids before that money's gone."

The Gloved One's long-term earnings prospects in the afterlife have been bolstered by the deals arranged since his death. His estate received a $60 million advance for last year's filmThis Is It; sales of a Jackson-themed videogame, memorabilia and a re-released autobiography brought in an additional $50 million. The estate still owns the rights to Jackson's music, which took in nearly $50 million on heavy radio play and album sales over the past year. The funds have been used to put a significant dent into the roughly $500 million in debt Jackson left.

There's more cash on the horizon for the Jackson estate: A deal with Sony Music to put out unreleased recordings will bring in another $200 million to $250 million over the next seven years. Adam Kluger, chief of product-placement outfit The Kluger Agency, expects new Jackson releases to include collaborations with popular artists like Akon and Will.i.am, both of whom worked with Jackson shortly before his death. He believes the current surge of interest in Jackson will prove sustainable.