In Death, Endorsements Are a Girl's Best Friend

摘要

She's the ultimate celebrity, a luminous blond with international name recognition. Her new handlers are keen to build a reality show around her. And if the pieces fall into place, her name may soon grace a line of makeup and lingerie. That's a pretty good trick for a woman who died almost 50 years ago. Marilyn Monroe, the rights to whose image and name were sold on Dec. 30, is just the latest departed star to launch a new career. Deceased stars or their estates generated $2.25 billion in North American revenue in 2009, says Ira Mayer, who runs The Licensing Letter, which tracks licensing deals.