I almost posted this in the Tolkien sub-forum, but this seems the best place. According to an article I found on BBC News online, Tolkien was #5 on the list of Richest Dead Celebrities this year

, his Estate taking in an estimated $50 million. Thus making Tolkien the Richest Daed Author, handily beating Dr Seuss and Michael Crichton

, the other two authors in the top 10. The rest of the list can be found in the article linked below:
[url:32caxcm2]http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8331440.stm[/url:32caxcm2]
[b:32caxcm2]GB[/b:32caxcm2]