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Nobody's Dead Anymore Trivia Quiz

Even after death, celebrities can make a ton of money. This quiz is about a few who have passed on, but who have made more in each year since their death than most of the rest of us can hope to make in a lifetime. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by Trivia_Fan54. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Trivia_Fan54

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
393,751

Updated
Oct 11 22

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
424

Last 3 plays: Guest 69 (4/10), Johnmcmanners (10/10), Guest 157 (3/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. What is the most common term used for dead celebrities who continue to make money in advertising revenue? Hint

Dead Adders

Delebs

Ad Deathies

Celebdeads

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. As of 2019, which state allowed the longest amount of time during which a deceased celebrity could earn advertising revenue? Hint

California

Texas

New York

They are all the same

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. What are the most likely reasons that dead celebrities are attractive to advertisers? Hint

Most families allow the use of the dead celebrities' images for little to no fees

There are no agents or lawyers to deal with

Their good looks remain, and they tend not to get into trouble after they pass away

They can be made to do anything with technology, and they don't have to be paid

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Which dead celebrity's earnings were enhanced with the sale of mood-mellowing drinks and audio equipment well into the 21st century? Hint

Bob Marley

Michael Jackson

Elvis Presley

The Big Bopper

NEXT>

Question 5 of 10

5. Whose widow took Universal Studios to court in the 1960s in an effort to prevent them from profiting from her dead husband's Dracula merchandise? Hint

Max Schreck

John Carradine

Lon Chaney

Bela Lugosi

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which product, in 1991, was one of the first to use dead celebrities in its advertising? Hint

Diet Coke

Clairol hair products

Michelin tires

Schick razors

7. In 2018, an ad for chocolate bars starring Audrey Hepburn was created in Great Britain. It used a technique that involved cutting and pasting actual scenes from movies into the chocolate commercial to make a whole new commercial starring Ms. Hepburn.

True

False

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Which celebrity, who died with a debt in the millions, would be "thrilled" to know that with royalties and marketing income, his debt was wiped clean within ten years of his death? Hint

James Dean

Perry Como

Richie Valens

Michael Jackson

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. In the early part of the 21st century, what was the value of marketing dead celebs in North America? Hint

Approximately five million dollars

Approximately one million dollars

Approximately 500 million dollars

Approximately three billion dollars

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Which celebrity's estate lost revenue because family members had initially argued that she did not live in California when she died? Hint

Grace Kelly

Lucille Ball

Marilyn Monroe

Ingrid Bergman

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. What is the most common term used for dead celebrities who continue to make money in advertising revenue?

Answer: Delebs

The term "delebs" is used in advertising circles to indicate that they are using celebrities who have died in their ad media. It is also a term that is occasionally used in the popular media when they report about the financial concerns of dead celebrities (e.g., tax settlements, etc.).

2. As of 2019, which state allowed the longest amount of time during which a deceased celebrity could earn advertising revenue?

Answer: California

In some states such as New York, dead celebrities have no rights to marketing revenue that uses their image. Other states such as California are very particular about the length of time after a death a celebrity has rights to marketing revenue. The celebrity must have been a legal resident of the state at the time of their death before an estate can claim rights to advertising revenue.

In California, dead celebrities' estates earn marketing income for 70 years. These can also be bequeathed to heirs in California (something that is not possible in many other states).

3. What are the most likely reasons that dead celebrities are attractive to advertisers?

Answer: Their good looks remain, and they tend not to get into trouble after they pass away

Images of dead celebrities remain good looking. Royalties are paid to their estates, but the celebrities cannot usually get themselves into any trouble that might taint the brand (if posthumous revelations cause issues, it is relatively easy to pull ads with the dead celebrity).

This has happened with many live celebrities over the years, so advertisers are drawn to those who can no longer spoil their own image or the image of the product that is being advertised.

4. Which dead celebrity's earnings were enhanced with the sale of mood-mellowing drinks and audio equipment well into the 21st century?

Answer: Bob Marley

Bob Marley died in 1981, but his descendants have ensured continued earnings by starting up the House of Marley (speakers and headphones) and the Marley Beverage Company. This has led him to be one of the highest-paid dead celebrities well into the 21st century.

5. Whose widow took Universal Studios to court in the 1960s in an effort to prevent them from profiting from her dead husband's Dracula merchandise?

Answer: Bela Lugosi

Lugosi's family had to take the studios to court because at that time, there were no laws in place in California that protected the rights of dead celebs. Although they lost the case after an eleven-year-long suit, it set the wheels in motion for new laws to be created.

The Celebrities' Rights Act was signed into law in 1985. Now, California has the strictest laws of any state when it comes to protecting dead celebrities' rights to "profit" from their own image.

6. Which product, in 1991, was one of the first to use dead celebrities in its advertising?

Answer: Diet Coke

In this Diet Coke commercial, a live Elton John was leading a band in a hot nightclub while Humphrey Bogart appeared in the crowd. Then James Cagney appears, speaking to a beautiful woman when he says "alright, let's sample a bottle. No, make it two; one for you and one for me." Finally, Louis Armstrong does a trumpet solo. Each of the dead celebs was incorporated using old movie and TV clips.

Answer: False

For this commercial, all known shots of Audrey Hepburn were used to create a software catalogue of facial expressions. They were then used to overlay her face onto a commercial model who did the actual acting in the commercial. None of the scenes in the commercial were taken from any existing full-body scenes of Hepburn acting in any movies.

The creators essentially gave Audrey Hepburn a brand new script for the commercial long after she passed away.

8. Which celebrity, who died with a debt in the millions, would be "thrilled" to know that with royalties and marketing income, his debt was wiped clean within ten years of his death?

Answer: Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson was heavily in debt when he died in 2009. However, alongside continued sales of his music, his estate has received earnings from an endorsement deal with Pepsi, a video game created by Ubisoft, and a concert film that grossed over $260 million worldwide. For a decade after his death, Jackson continued to be one of the highest paid dead celebrities; although renewed allegations of child abuse that emerged in early 2019 threatened to derail that particular bandwagon.

9. In the early part of the 21st century, what was the value of marketing dead celebs in North America?

Answer: Approximately three billion dollars

Each year, technological advances make it easier to use dead celebrities in advertising. Whether it is using holographic images, or facial reconstruct software, don't be surprised if more and more dead celebrities appear in print and television ads in the years to come.

10. Which celebrity's estate lost revenue because family members had initially argued that she did not live in California when she died?

Answer: Marilyn Monroe

When Marilyn Monroe first passed away, her family argued that her home was in New York, and that her house in California was just used when she worked there. They put this argument forward to avoid paying the higher California income taxes. However, when a photography company refused to pay them for the rights to her image, the heirs did not have a leg to stand on because New York does not protect a celebrity's image after they have died.

The family found out that you can't claim to be a resident of two places at once, and the photography company was allowed to keep all of its income from the photo that they published.

Source: Author Trivia_Fan54

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stedman before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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