You'd think a person would have to work pretty hard to make more than $5 million a year. But maybe not. The people on this list are making more money in one year than most of us will see in a lifetime -- and they're not even alive to enjoy it! Each year, Forbes magazine compiles data on the top-earning dead celebrities. Altogether, these individuals earned more than $250 million in 2006.

1. Kurt Cobain -- $50 million

The lead singer of Nirvana may have taken his own life in 1994, but he still has a presence in the music biz. His widow, controversial and drug-addled Courtney Love, controls his estate and continues to license his name and song catalog to advertising agencies and television shows including Six Feet Under and CSI. In fact, Cobain took over the number one spot following a huge licensing deal that Love made in 2006 -- Elvis usually holds the top position on this list. Cobain was famously anti-commercial, so many fans feel uncomfortable with the money the poster boy of grunge continues to pull in.

2. Elvis Presley -- $42 million

Until 2006, Elvis had been the number one money-making dead celebrity for years. Die-hard fans continue to buy box sets, remastered recordings, biographies, and other Elvis memorabilia by the millions, even though there's been no new material from the King since he died in 1977. In addition to merchandising, income comes from ticket sales at Graceland and the licensing of Elvis's identity to developers in Las Vegas who are planning a new Elvis attraction.

The King was recently dethroned as the top-earning dead celebrity.

3. Charles M. Schulz -- $35 million

Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Lucy continue to grace the pages of more than 2,400 U.S. newspapers every day. Charles Schulz, the cartoonist behind the "Peanuts" comic strip, died of cancer in 2000, but annual television specials and licensing agreements with apparel companies continue to make Schulz a wealthy man.

On the next page, you will find more of the top-earning dead celebrities.