Michael Jackson signed his first music deal when he was aged 11 in 1969, as part of the jackson Five.  Reputedly, says The Times, they got a “measly” 2.7% cut of their royalties.  It wasn’t until his solo album Thriller (which is still the best-selling album in history) in 1982, for which he earned $125m, this his earnings went into orbit.  The Bad world tour in 1987 grossed him a further $125m.  Jackson made some savvy investments, the most notable being the $47.5m purchase of ATV Music Publishing in 1985, which included a 250-song Beatles back catalogue.  He sold half of it to Sony/ATV Music Plublishing for $150m in 1995.  At the time of his death his estimated income was $19m a year.

How did he spend his money ?

Extravagantly and quickly.  Described as the millionaire who spent like a billionaire, Jackson died with an estimated debt of $500m with his annual outgoings thought to be $20-$30m more than his income.  He paid out £16.5m and £1.1m on two separate out of court settlements for charges of child abuse.  He also paid ex-wife Debbie Rowe £5m for custody of their two children plus a £750,000 annual payment.  He was an obessive shopper too; in 2003 he spent $4m in a single shopping spree in Las Vegas.  By 2005, he had racked up $300m in debts.

What does his death mean for his planned gigs?

AEG Live, the promoters of Jackson’s 50 planned concerts at the O2 Arena, face a bill of up to £300m for the cancelled concerts.  The firm had to self-insure at least 30 of the concerts as no one was willing to insure the full run.  The group is rumoured to be considering releasing a DVD of Jackson’s last rehearsal – filmed hours before his death – in order to recoup some of the losses.

Katie Price aka Jordan was well known for falling out of night clubs drunk but she is well known as a glamour model turned entrepenaur.  Now adays she is a successful author of childrens books and has several lines in jewelry, bed linen and horse accessories.

In 2004 she was earning £20,000 per photo shoot. Not bad for a few hours work in anyones eyes.  Her annual earnings were £250,000 that year just from modelling.  In that year she also did photoshoot for Playboy earning £250,000.

What Else Has Katie Price Earned ?

After her appearance on “Im a celebrity get me out of here” in 2004 she was paid £100,000 by ITV.  Following on from the show she then published her first autobiography earning her £10,000 in advance as well as a percentage of the royalties.  The 2nd book she released named “Jordan A Whole New World” made her £2m.  Following on from the autobiography success she then decided to try writing childrens books and was paid £600,000.

Katie Price also has a lingerie collection which is very popular and earned £2.8m in 2006 and with her jewellery range in Argos made £250,000.  Katie then went on to launch a bed linen range for Matalan and made £150,000.  Katie has a big love for horse riding so decided to profit from her passion and created her own horse accessories and earned £1m.

What could the Divorce From Peter Andre Cost ?

Katie Price is estimated to be worth £30m according to Sunday Times rich list at only the age of 31.  Katie and Peter own several properties together, one property in Surrey worth £2m, a property in Cyprus worth £1.75m.  Even though this divorce may cost Katie money she is already making money from this event by earning £40,000 from the photos of her on holiday after the spilt.  This just goes to show katie can make money from any drama or situation, and knows how to monitise from the media attention she gets.  Not only this she is rumoured to make a six figure sum for her story of their relationship.