Michael Jackson has come third on Forbes magazine's annual list of top-earning dead celebrities.

The late singer's estate is thought to have earned $90million since his death in June.

The huge sum includes the sale of rights to footage of Jackson rehearsing for his ill-fated comeback gigs, which has been transformed into the This Is It movie.

The estate's value has also been bolstered by the sale of more than 9 million albums and 5.5 million digital downloads.

The list is topped by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent with $350million, while Broadway songwriters Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein are second.

Elvis Presley, last year's number one, was fourth with $55million and late Beatle John Lennon was seventh with a earnings of $15million.

(by Jason Gregory)