American Singer and song-writer Michael Jackson has once again topped Forbes’ list of highest-paid dead celebrities for 2025, earning an estimated $105 million before taxes in the past year.

According to Forbes, the continued inflow of revenue comes from music sales, live show productions, licensing deals and catalog-related profits.

A major factor in the latest surge was a landmark deal in 2024, when Jackson’s estate sold a 50 percent stake in his master recordings and publishing to Sony Music for about $600 million.

Since his passing in 2009, the estate has now generated roughly $3.5 billion, making Jackson the most profitable late artist in the world.

The money continues to flow from a mix of sources including a long-running Las Vegas residency, global touring shows built around his music, and Broadway and international stage productions.

An estate attorney noted that Michael Jackson’s earnings place him far ahead of every other deceased celebrity, with a wide gap separating him from the rest.

Forbes’ latest list is led largely by musicians, reflecting the growing importance of owning and commercializing music catalogs. The trend underscores a shift in the industry, where intellectual property and licensing strategies are now key sources of long-term revenue.

Months ago, Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7) once again emerged as the highest-paid athlete for the third consecutive year, according to Forbes' recent ranking.

NBA star Stephen Curry has taken Lionel Messi's position as the second highest paid, falling four places behind his rival.

Curry, the Golden State Warriors guard who became the first NBA player to reach 4,000 career three-pointers in March, recorded $156 million (approximately £117 million) in income.

Forbes says Ronaldo has been on the list five times in his career and has since increased his estimated total earnings by $15 million, reaching $275 million (about £206 million).Cristiano Ronaldo's earnings have increased following his juicy contract with Al-Nassr and partnerships with Nike, Binance, and Clear, as well as his brand and huge social media following.

The only sportsman that has surpassed the Al-Nassr star is former world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather, who earned $300 million in 2015 (then £194 million) and $275 million in 2018 (then £205 million).

Tyson Fury moved to third place on Forbes' highest-paid athletes list, replacing Dak Prescott, the American football quarterback. Prescott, who was previously ranked third, has now dropped to fourth place, earning $137 million in 2025.

Fury was the beneficiary of a Netflix reality television show and a partnership with Maltese tourism.

Cristiano Ronaldo, football: $275m (£206.6m)Stephen Curry, basketball: $156m (£117.2m)Tyson Fury, boxing: $146m (£109.7m)Dak Prescott, American football: $137m (£103m)Lionel Messi, football: $135m (£101.4m)LeBron James, basketball: $133.8m (£105.5m)Juan Soto, baseball: $114m (£85.7m)Karim Benzema, football: $104m (£78.2m)Shohei Ohtani, baseball: $102.5m (£77m)Kevin Durant, basketball: $101.4m (£76.2m)

Ghanaian Afro-pop and Afro-fusion singer Gyakie was named in Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 Class of 2025.

The announcement was made on X by Forbes Africa with the caption, "The FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 Class of 2025 has officially landed,and this year’s trailblazers are rewriting the rules of what it means to lead."

The recognition highlighted Gyakie's soulful sound, cross-border collaborations and influence as a cultural ambassador for Ghana and Africa.

The songbird took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the acknowledgment.

“Grateful to be a part of the @forbesafrica 30 under 30 prestigious list with other amazing people. thanks for the recognition. this is for my fans, family, friends and country,”

She also spoke at the 2025 Forbes Woman Africa Leading Women Summit, sharing insights on her artistic evolution and her genre-blending approach, incorporating Afro-fusion, R&B, hip-hop, and highlife.

The world’s wealthiest individuals continue to indicate how global business and innovation shape fortunes on an extraordinary scale. Topping the list is Elon Musk, who maintains his position as the richest person in the world.

His net worth is placed in the hundreds of billions of dollars due to vast holdings in Tesla, SpaceX and other ventures.

Following Musk is Larry Ellison, co-founder and chief technology officer of Oracle Corporation. Ellison has risen sharply in the ranks thanks to Oracle’s strong performance in cloud and AI infrastructure.

In the third position comes Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, who regained ground recently. Bezos’s shift back into the top tier reflects renewed investor interest in e-commerce and his other ventures.

Next is Larry Page, one of the two co-founders of Google LLC (now part of Alphabet Inc.). Page’s standing underscores the enduring value of foundational tech platforms and the long-term growth of digital infrastructure.

In fifth place sits Mark Zuckerberg, who built Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook). After leading the list in earlier years, Zuckerberg slipped slightly in the latest ranking as Meta pivots more heavily into the metaverse and artificial intelligence.

Sixth is Sergey Brin, the other Google co-founder. Brin’s presence on the list highlights how early tech entrepreneurs continue to accumulate wealth over decades through equity and diversified holdings.

The seventh slot is occupied by Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of luxury-goods conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Arnault is the lone major non-tech billionaire in the top ten, pointing to the enduring power of luxury markets globally.

Eighth place is held by Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of Nvidia Corporation. Huang’s rise corresponds with the explosion in demand for AI-chips and graphics processing units, which has rapidly boosted Nvidia’s market valuation.

The ninth spot belongs to Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft. Ballmer’s sustained wealth is rooted in Microsoft’s long-term growth and the strength of its enterprise software business.

Finally, tenth is Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies. Dell’s appearance in the top ten underscores how hardware, computing infrastructure and legacy tech companies still matter in a world dominated by software and internet-based business models.

Together, these ten individuals embody the massive economic forces reshaping the global economy: electric vehicles, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, social networks, luxury consumption and legacy enterprise systems. Their net worths are fluid, shifting with stock markets, innovation cycles and geopolitical events.

These leaders’ fortunes also highlight key lessons: long-term ownership stakes in dominant companies, exposure to fast-growing sectors, and the compounding effect of capital gains. For journalists, analysts and business-minded readers alike, the rich list is more than a curiosity—it signals which industries and companies are truly shaping the future.

In short, when you look at the top ten richest people in the world today, you are looking at a snapshot of where modern wealth is generated—and where it is likely to shift next.