Blender's 50 Most Awesomely Dead Rock Stars

Larger Than Life: He was hailed as the finest rapper of his generation thanks to his keen eye for detail and lyrical virtuosity, and even in death Biggie’s reputation matched his near-400-pound physical presence. The posthumous Life After Death entered the album charts at No. 1 and went on to sell more than 10 million copies.

Death Wish: While his rival Tupac achieved a kind of martyrdom, Biggie’s demise left only thoughts of what might have been. He didn’t leave the comprehensive vault of unfinished tracks Tupac did, and while 1999’s Born Again sold almost 2 million copies, it didn’t approach his best work. But although the recent Duets collection is subtitled “The Final Chapter,” Bad Boy Records recently announced the extension of Biggie’s musical legacy—into a collection of specially created cell phone ringtones.

Peer Plaudits: Biggie was an inspiration to the next generation of New York rappers—Jay-Z paid due homage by sampling “Juicy” on The Blueprint 2’s “A Dream.” His mother has also fought almost singlehandedly to keep his memory alive, setting up the charitable Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation, publishing a memoir, Biggie, and—most intriguingly—announcing plans for a movie treatment of her son’s life by Training Day director Antoine Fuqua.

Cashing In: The career resurgence that began in 1993 when Tom Petty told Rick Rubin that he should record Cash for his American Recordings label has been uninterrupted by the death of the Man in Black, his image now frozen forever as the noble sufferer in the award-winning video for “Hurt.” Rubin’s Unearthed box set surfed the immediate sympathy wave, but more than two years later the deceased Cash thrives as a touchstone of cool. The Oscar-catnip biopic Walk the Line does a good job of sexing up the craggy Cash and his late wife June while boosting the early music, and a recent career-spanning comp, The Legend of Johnny Cash, has become a chart staple. Wisely, daughters Rosanne, Tara, Kathleen and Cindy and son John knocked back a 2004 idea from Preparation H, who wanted to use Cash’s 1963 hit “Ring of Fire” in their advertising—a business opportunity Cash might have grabbed at his mid-’80s Columbia nadir, when he thought nothing of recording songs like “The Chicken in Black.”

Cash Cow: Cash’s stock is now so high, Rubin can use the still-unreleased American V, the last volume of Cash-recorded material he has in the vault, as collateral against which to renegotiate American’s contract with Universal. Now due sometime in 2006 after more than 12 months’ delay, tracks will likely include “First Corinthians 5:55” and, aptly, “Ain’t a Grave Can Hold Me.” Expect a double..