History Main / DeadArtistsAreBetter

The vast majority of shows that mention paintings will mention this trope at one point: Artists are never recognized until after they're dead. Though this [[TruthInTelevision has happened in many cases]], there have also been a lot of painters, modern and classic, that have been recognized while still alive. Nor has the deceased been recognized immediately after his corpse hits the ground, as it seems to happen when this trope is in effect. (Historically, this has affected composers and writers far less than people assume. Shakespeare was successful during his lifetime, so was Beethoven. It stands to reason - only a few people would continue doing something for a long time without some kind of success. This is glaringly obvious for composers - of the top tier, only Bach and Tchaikovsky comes even remotely close to this trope, and they were still far from starving during their lifetimes.)

In theory, the idea that dead artists are better may result from them dying at their peak: they don't have the time to taint their earlier successes with an AudienceAlienatingEra of divisive later works that fail to live up to the masterpieces (whether through being [[GenreShift too different]] or [[StrictlyFormula more of the same]]). The artist's death also introduces scarcity, as it means there will definitely not be any more works produced by the artist, making existing ones more precious.

In 99% of the cases where this trope is mentioned, one character, either the artist or an associate, will come up with the "brilliant" idea of spreading rumors of the artist's death, which immediately causes said artist's work to magically get the recognition that eluded it all these years. Of course, something inevitably goes wrong, [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated the artist is found to be alive]], and the status quo is restored. For some reason, fraud accusations are seldom made.

The modern-day sentiment is probably "Dead Musicians Are Better", music being arguably the second-most personal media form. Technology has also amplified this trope's effects, with streams of a freshly-deceased artist's songs skyrocketing and social media making people's opinions more apparent. (2016 was a good [[Music/DavidBowie year]]-[[Music/{{Prince}} long]] [[Music/GeorgeMichael example]].)

* Robin Williams' son in ''Film/WorldsGreatestDad'' is a terrible person in life, but Robin takes advantage of his death to sell his own book, disguised as a journal the son wrote before death.
* ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}'': "It's a pity we couldn't hold on to that drawing. It'll be worth a lot more in the morning." Ironically, he's kind of right -- the painting is found in a safe and restored, and given that it's a memento that was brought up from the ''Titanic'' it's now a priceless historical artefact. And the artist dies in the sinking, so bonus.

* Discussed in ''Film/DieAnotherDay''. Jinx is meeting with a surgeon on the Cuban island, discussing a drastic procedure to change her looks. He says that he considers himself an artist, and she remarks that most great artists aren't celebrated until after their deaths, upon which she shoots him.
* In ''Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis'', a struggling record producer plots to invoke this trope by murdering his one remaining artist in order to boost flagging sales of her work. It... [[HilarityEnsues doesn't go]] [[BlackComedy according to plan]].

* Minor details during one of the mission briefings in ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' reveal that after Agent 47's assassination of fashion mogul Viktor Novikov during one of his fashion shows, his clothing brand Sanguine has actually risen in popularity. The game's [[VideoGame/Hitman2 sequel]] also reveals that 47's of the famed author Craig Black has heavily increased the popularity of his popular franchise of fiction novels, Cassandra Snow (ironic, considering Black held such deep hatred for the franchise that he joined in on a doomsday cult's bioterrorism plot just to make sure he wouldn't be remembered for it).

* Minor details during one of the mission briefings in ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' reveal that after Agent 47's assassination of fashion mogul Viktor Novikov during one of his fashion shows, his clothing brand Sanguine has actually risen in popularity. The game's [[VideoGame/Hitman2 sequel]] also reveals that 47's of the famed author Craig Black has heavily increased the popularity of his famed franchise of fiction novels, Cassandra Snow (ironic, considering Black held such deep hatred for the franchise that he joined in on a doomsday cult's bioterrorism plot just to make sure he wouldn't be remembered for it).

* Minor details during one of the mission briefings in ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' reveal that after Agent 47's assassination of fashion mogul Viktor Novikov during one of his fashion shows, his clothing brand Sanguine has actually risen in popularity.

* The pilot episode of ''Series/{{Lucifer}}'' has this turn out to be the motive behind the pop star's murder.

* The whole point of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZXzMDKEwqI "Self Suicide"]] by Goldie Lookin Chain

* The title of the Music/{{Nightwish}} song "Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan" translates to "Death Makes an Artist". They also have "The Poet and the Pendulum", which is basically a 14-minute EpicRocking song about Tuomas dying, which was written by Tuomas himself.

* in the novella "Getting Even" by Ray Brown, an entire extraterrestrial race (sometime before the story starts) got wiped out by a bomb dropped into their sun, causing a solar flare to wash over their planet; and the art of that race suddenly became quite valuable as a result.

In theory, the idea that dead artists are better may result from them dying at their peak: they don't have the time to taint their earlier successes with a DorkAge of divisive later works that fail to live up to the masterpieces (whether through being [[GenreShift too different]] or [[StrictlyFormula more of the same]]). The artist's death also introduces scarcity, as it means there will definitely not be any more works produced by the artist, making existing ones more precious.

** Another Creator/ValveSoftware game, VideoGame/TeamFortress2, also plays with this. In the official comic ''Unhappy Returns'', it's revealed that Scout spent his entire life savings on Music/TomJones merchandise. Spy points out how illogical this is -- he's one of the most virile men on the planet, he's in his twenties (note that the game takes place in the late '60s-early '70s), he has virtually no enemies...Scout merely replies that it's a "Get-rich-slow" scheme. Of course, this being an AlternateUniverse from our own, Soldier murders Tom Jones out of jealousy a short time later (He was living with Soldier's former roommate. ItsALongStory.)

[[caption-width-right:325:...not ''[[LiteralMinded quite]]'' what we meant. (James Ensor, ''The Painting Skeleton'')]]

* This trope is discussed in ''Manga/DetectiveConan''. In [[KidDetective Conan]] and [[PhantomThief Kaito Kid]]'s first encounter, Kaito Kid suggests thieves are creative artists while detectives are merely art critics. Later in the case, as Conan attempts to unmask Kaito Kid's [[LatexPerfection disguise]]:

In theory, the idea that dead artists are better may result from them dying at their peak: they don't have the time to taint their earlier successes with a DorkAge of divisive later works that fail to live up to the masterpieces (whether through being [[GenreShift too different]] or [[StrictlyFormula more of the same]]).

* This trope is discussed in ''Manga/DetectiveConan''. In [[KidDetective Conan]] and [[PhantomThief Kaito Kid]]'s first encounter, Kaito Kid suggests thieves are creative artists while detectives are merely art critics. Later in the case as Conan attempts to unmask Kaito Kid's [[LatexPerfection disguise]]:

* ''Completely'' averted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' in the seventh season episode where Bender becomes a paparazzo. Calculon needs to beat a famous actor named Langdon Cobb [[ItMakesSenseInContext so he can weaken his ego]]. He drinks a bottle of food coloring (which is ''very poisonous'' to robots) so he can make a believable death scene. Langdon still wins unanimously.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': {{Invoked}} by Edriss 562 in setting up [[{{Cult}} The Sharing]], though not involving an artist. She infested a charismatic real estate salesman named Lawrence Alter, changed his name to Lore David Altman, and when the group was large enough, killed him. She'd learned from human media that people will revere a dead leader, but living leaders could have their reputations ruined.

In 99% of the cases where this trope is mentioned, one character, either the artist or an associate, will come up with the "brilliant" idea of spreading rumors of the artist's death, which immediately causes said artist's work to magically get the recognition that eluded it all these years. Of course, something inevitably goes wrong, the artist is found to be alive, and the status quo is restored. For some reason, fraud accusations are seldom made.

See also VindicatedByHistory, TrueArtIsAncient, and ShortLivedBigImpact. When a musician's death or departure leads to their group doing better than before, it's an aversion of TheBandMinusTheFace. When a dead artist is celebrated (through song), it's a CelebrityElegy. Such celebrities are good candidates to [[CelebritiesHangOutInHeaven hang out in heaven]]. Many examples below also fall under NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead, in that some artists who became greatly celebrated after their death lived miserable and/or ridiculed lives before dying.

* In ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'' Hilda sells Salem's paintings, passing them off as her own. When he changes his art style, the new paintings don't sell as well. His solution? Tell the newspapers Hilda died, hoping the paintings sell better. Unfortunately for her, the man she was dating reads the obituary and runs out of the house in terror.

!!Fictional examples

!!RealLife examples:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Before news of his passing broke in 2010, few ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' fans knew who Creator/TakeshiShudo was. Once it did, though, he became more appreciated for his work as the head writer of the series up until partway through Johto, as well as writing the first three movies. Having written many fan-favorite episodes, his departure is now often considered to be the point where the series [[SeasonalRot dropped in quality]] and never quite recovered.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arts]]
* Creator/VincentVanGogh is the poster child of this trope, managing to sell just one painting during his lifetime, but becoming much sought after soon after his suicide.
* El Greco was not appreciated in his lifetime, the 16th century, because his art didn't conform to the norm of realism. Only in the 20th century has his work been reappreciated for exactly this reason. Nowadays it's far more worth.
* Creator/PieterBruegelTheElder: For many centuries his work was seen as vulgar and crass because it depicted ordinary peasants. Only in the 19th century did people finally realize that it was still amazingly well painted and did the prices for his work go up.
* Although not known by many outside [[UsefulNotes/{{South Korea}} Korea]], painter [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Jung-seob Lee Jung-seob]] is arguably the most famous modern artist in Korea, and while his paintings are sold in average millions of dollars now, he died in UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} of hepatitis, broke and alone.
* J.O.J. Frost was considered a local eccentric during his lifetime, having started painting in his 70's and never making a recorded sale during his life (that he had no artistic training and considered himself a historian rather than a painter probably didn't help.) After his death in 1928, his paintings... ended up stuffed in an attic at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion for over a decade. However, after they were finally put on display in 1940, they came to the attention of folk-art enthusiasts, and today, Frost is remembered as one of Marblehead's signature artists-slash-historians. His paintings have also become incredibly valuable.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Creator/HeathLedger was a critical darling during his lifetime, but the general public mostly knew him as "the guy from ''Film/BrokebackMountain''". That all changed when he died unexpectedly of an accidental drug overdose in 2008. His death wound up having a tremendous impact on the hype for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' (his last fully completed role) and it became the second-highest-grossing film of all time in America (not adjusted for inflation), and the fourth to surpass $1 billion worldwide. Ledger won a lot of posthumous awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a first for a superhero movie. Even though Ledger's ''very'' final movie, ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'', received mixed reviews and only a moderate gross, his status as a Hollywood legend was fully cemented.
* In the same vein as Ledger's death, Creator/ChristopherReeve's paralysis later in life made him a living martyr and ensured his ''Film/{{Superman}}'' movies ([[FirstInstallmentWins well, the first two]]) would be considered untouchable and quintessential, though Superman and his world from the Creator/DCComics [[ComicBook/PostCrisis have long]] [[UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks evolved past]] their depiction in the films. Which made it frustrating for modern comics fans when the first Superman film in decades was a [[Film/SupermanReturns slavish superhomage]] to a retro version instead of depicting the contemporary one they're used to. [[Film/ManOfSteel That changed with the reboot,]] [[UnpleasableFanbase not that that automatically made it beloved.]]
* Creator/BrandonLee's final movie, ''Film/TheCrow'', received a huge boost due to his death, and has become a CultClassic. In particular, because he died from a gunshot wound accidentally sustained on the set.
* Creator/BrittanyMurphy's career had shrunk to small roles and voice acting (most notably, her role on ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'') by the time of her death, which became a media sensation.
* UsefulNotes/HongKong actor Creator/LeslieCheung was hugely popular in his lifetime, but the sheer number of eulogies and overwrought tributes after his sudden suicide was unprecedented.
* Creator/JamesDean starred in only three movies before his death at the age of twenty-four from a car accident: ''Film/EastOfEden'', ''Film/RebelWithoutACause'', and ''Film/{{Giant}}'', plus a handful of TV performances. Only ''East of Eden'' was released when he was still alive and it was a huge sensation, but ''Rebel'' released after his death made him a legend. James Dean was considered by the American Film Institute to be [[http://connect.afi.com/site/DocServer/stars50.pdf?docID=262 one of twenty-five greatest actors of all time]] and part of it has to do with his youth, the amazing promise he showed at such a young age (the fact these three films were stone-cold classics in their own right didn't hurt, either). Prior to the assassination of JFK, the day of Dean's death was the benchmark for the "Where were you when you heard..." question, and the level fan/critical response to Dean's death would not be equalled until the death of Creator/HeathLedger a half-century later.
* Creator/BruceLee's premature and mysterious death greatly contributed to the box office success of his films and all the Bruceploitation films it spawned.
* Despite being - to quote ''The New York Times'' - "the most ambitious and widely admired American actor of his generation," Creator/PhilipSeymourHoffman's death made him a household name in the eyes of the average moviegoer. For example, he finally got his own page here after his death.
* Creator/RobinWilliams was extremely popular during his lifetime but didn't have the same reputation as, say, Creator/WillSmith or Creator/JohnnyDepp. His death triggered a worldwide media sensation almost comparable to those of Princess Diana and Music/MichaelJackson. It also brought a renewed focus on mental health issues, given Williams [[SadClown grappled with them throughout his lifetime]].
* Creator/PaulWalker, known for starring in the ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'' series, as well as a few other roles, was killed in a car crash in November 2013. Although the ''Fast and Furious'' films were massive hits, Walker wasn't well-known outside of those films and his popularity was very low compared to co-star Creator/VinDiesel. Since then, [[AudienceShift a new legion of teenage fans who had previously never heard of him now worship him insanely]]. The greatest moment of Walker's posthumous legacy came in 2015, when then-fading rapper Wiz Khalifa recorded a song in tribute of him, "[[Music/Furious7Soundtrack See You Again]]", for the next ''Furious'' movie. The song was an enormous hit -- spending twelve weeks atop the ''Billboard Hot 100'', selling nearly 500,000 copies the week it first hit #1 and [[BreakawayPopHit becoming its own separate entity from its parent film]], as well as propelling featured artist and songwriter Charlie Puth to stardom. Think about it -- had Walker's reputation remained where it was when he was alive, "See You Again" would have likely done next to nothing on the charts, and of course, is also likely the song wouldn't have been made if Walker was still alive. It should also be noted that he actually ''beat Vin Diesel'' for a Teen Choice Award that same year.
* Director Creator/EdWood is known today as the patron saint of bad movies like ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' or ''Film/GlenOrGlenda'', but in his lifetime he was virtually unknown and died nearly broke.
* Creator/CaroleLombard was a very successful actress in the 1930s, but it wasn't until after her tragic death at age 33 in a plane crash that she became one of the great icons of screwball comedy, with some calling her the greatest and most influential comedic actress of all time. Even Creator/LucilleBall decided to do ''Series/ILoveLucy'' after she dreamed Lombard told her to do it.
* After a string of flops in the '80s, Creator/GeneWilder had retired from acting, with the public mostly remembering him for playing the title role in the classic 1971 movie musical ''Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory'', based on Creator/RoaldDahl's classic novel ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory''. His death in August 2016 not only helped sustain ''Wonka'''s great legacy, but also raised the profile of his other films such as ''Film/TheProducers'', ''Film/BlazingSaddles'', and ''Film/YoungFrankenstein'' and everyone began citing him as one of the greatest comedic actors of all time. On a related note, while Creator/TimBurton's [[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 2005 film version of]] ''[[Film/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Charlie]]'', starring Creator/JohnnyDepp as Wonka, had faced intense HypeBacklash for over a decade for what was being increasingly seen as a butchered remake of the original film as opposed to a TruerToTheText adaptation of Dahl's original book, Wilder's death firmly solidified the '71 film as the definitive adaptation of the book and sent the '05 film into pure DeaderThanDisco territory.
* Creator/RockHudson fell off the Hollywood A-list in the late-1960s, and within 15 years found himself in supporting roles on TV series such as ''Series/{{Dynasty}}''. However, he revealed in 1985 that he was dying of AIDS, which followed a few months later by his untimely passing. This ensured Hudson's status as a beloved Hollywood actor, in large part because his death gave the public a greater awareness of AIDS than ever before. In addition, Hudson came out as gay in a posthumously-released memoir, which finally allowed the public to see Hollywood's unfortunate treatment of homosexual actors in the 1950s and 1960s.
* Creator/CarrieFisher was very well known for playing Princess Leia in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' films, but she had no real profile beyond ''Star Wars'' and wasn't nearly as iconic as her co-star Creator/HarrisonFord. Her shocking death at the end of 2016, capping off a year of a surprisingly high number of high-profile celebrity deaths, truly made the world fall in love with her all over again, and Princess Leia was appropriated into a feminist symbol at the Women's March a month later. On a related note, Creator/DebbieReynolds, Fisher's mother, died a day after her daughter. Reynolds was a star from the '50s who was relatively obscure at the time of her death, but the fact that she died just ''one day'' after Fisher gave her passing a lot more attention than it would have gotten otherwise.
* Creator/RogerMoore wasn't the most popular of the [[Franchise/JamesBond James Bonds]], but he was still fairly well-liked. When he died in May 2017, a lot of his films' biggest critics (namely Connery fans) began to look at his films in a more positive light. Moore's death certainly would have been a big news story, especially considering that he is the first Bond to pass away, but it was largely reduced to an afterthought in the aftermath of the Manchester attacks.
* The actor Antonio De Curtis, known as Totò, well known in his country of Italy, once said: ''It's going to be really beautiful at my funeral, there will be praises, words, big words, they will find out I'm a great actor: because this is a wonderful country, where to be recognized in anything, however, you have to die''. He was right about his future fame.
* Creator/AntonYelchin starred as Ensign Pavel Chekov in the ''Film/StarTrek2009'' films, [[BrokenBase which many Trek fans have been divided over]]. In June 2016, only a month before the release of ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', Anton was killed in an auto accident at age 27, and the entire ''Trek'' franchise united to pay tribute to him.
* Creator/SharonTate was only acting for the latter part of the 1960s, and she was getting a lot of hype when she was alive, but she was often dismissed as just a MsFanservice (not helping matters by her breakout role ''Literature/ValleyOfTheDolls'' being critically trashed but still [[CriticProof a Box Office hit]]. However, her shocking and brutal murder at the hands of the Manson Family ensured her place in pop culture history. Some of her films - notably ''Film/EyeOfTheDevil'' were re-released after her death and grossed much more than they had on their first runs. It got to the point that in 2019 - the fiftieth anniversary of her death - three films about her were produced. These days she's considered a big part of the UsefulNotes/NewHollywood. Roman Polanski said after her death that she was rarely recognised for her talent rather than her beauty.
* Creator/AnnaMayWong had faded by the '50s and '60s after being a star in the '20s and '30s. She had grown burnt out by Hollywood not wanting to cast her in non-stereotypical Chinese parts and taken her career overseas. Her sudden death right before she was to star in ''Theatre/FlowerDrumSong'' was right before an emergence of Asian-American talent - leading to Creator/NancyKwan (who she would have starred alongside in ''Flower Drum Song'') calling her a pioneer in terms of Asian representation. These days she's recognised as the first Chinese-American movie star and a trailblazer for minorities in Hollywood.
* Creator/MarilynMonroe achieved symbolic status after she died. While she was a huge star when she was alive, her popularity has endured over the years and she's acquired the image of a tragic cautionary tale that almost certainly wouldn't have been if she had lived longer.
* Creator/JeanHarlow was growing in popularity in the 1930s as one of America's favourite blonde bombshells but was despised by critics as a bland MsFanservice. However, her sudden death at the age of 26 caused a worldwide sensation - including a national day of mourning in the UK (where her films were rarely exported). Her all too brief career caused her to become a legendary figure, and indeed an idol of Marilyn Monroe (who was considered her SpiritualSuccessor). It does help that some of the few films she starred in - ''Film/HellsAngels'', ''Film/ThePublicEnemy'', ''Film/RedDust'' - have endured as classics. You can also thank her for the term 'platinum blonde', as she starred in a film with that title based around her hair colour. The buzz around her death was so large that instead of recasting her part in ''{{Film/Saratoga}}'' (which she'd filmed half of before she died), they used {{Fake Shemp}}s and released it as her final performance.
* Creator/JackWild had long fallen into obscurity as a FormerChildStar from the '60s and '70s by the time of his death from throat cancer in 2006. He's nostalgically remembered for his iconic role as the Artful Dodger in ''{{Theatre/Oliver}}'' and his own TV series ''Pufnstuf''. A posthumous biography was even released in 2016, a full ten years after his death.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Creator/HPLovecraft, whose stories, though known among genre fans during his lifetime, only achieved anything resembling literary success after he died, with the help of other writers adding onto the Franchise/CthulhuMythos and keeping it going. This is one example where death actually was a direct cause, not just a symptom of the passage of time -- his works went into the public domain instead of staying with an estate, which is what allowed all those other authors to play in his sandbox.
* Creator/JRRTolkien. While he was a noted author and respected linguist during his lifetime, only after his death he has become a household name everywhere. He has been an inspiration on basically ''every'' fantasy fiction author, and all his works are fundamental parts of Geek Canon. VindicatedByHistory: only after his death have ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' been recognized as great works of the 20th century English literature.
* A more extreme example is John Kennedy Toole's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel ''Literature/AConfederacyOfDunces''. It wasn't his death that got audiences' attention, but the tireless efforts of his mother over the course of eleven years to get it published.
* Creator/FranzKafka was little-known in the literary circle until he died and his friend Max Brod edited and published his unfinished manuscripts. Max also invokes the reversal of this trope, as he was a very popular and acclaimed author back then, but is now known only as Kafka's friend. It's also interesting to note that Kafka specifically told Brod to burn his unfinished works, and Brod directly disobeyed his dying wish. Good call.
* Creator/FScottFitzgerald was popular during the twenties, but later in his life, he was unsuccessful and unpopular. It wasn't until after he died that ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'' became celebrated as one of the greatest American novels.
* New Zealand author [[http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/Writers/Profiles/Morrieson,%20Ronald%20Hugh Ronald Hugh Morrieson]] once feared that he would become "another of those poor buggers who gets discovered when they're dead." He continues to be proven right, long after his death in 1972.
* Stieg Larsson died shortly after delivering the manuscripts for ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'', which has proved wildly successful.
* As both a journalist and novelist, Creator/DavidFosterWallace was a critically acclaimed wunderkind in the mid-90s literary world, but most outside of those circles knew him only for ''Literature/InfiniteJest'' being a [[{{Doorstopper}} doorstopper to end all doorstoppers]]. Following his 2008 death, he received a tremendous amount of attention and many younger writers and journalists will namecheck him as an influence. His posthumous novel ''Literature/ThePaleKing'' had more pre-release anticipation than any of his other novels received during his lifetime, and it received a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
* Zora Neale Hurston (who wrote ''Literature/TheirEyesWereWatchingGod''), despite coming from the prolific Harlem Renaissance period, struggled to make a living throughout most of her life. She died relatively young and penniless, and was buried in an unmarked grave. It wasn't until decades later when Hurston (along with Maya Angelou) was seen as a revolutionary voice for black female writers, and posthumously paved the way for writers like Alice Walker (''Film/TheColorPurple'') and Toni Morrison (''Beloved'').
* The study website ''[[http://www.shmoop.com/shining-stephen-king/ Shmoop]]'' actually ''predicts'' [[note]]Quite accurately, nonetheless![[/note]] that this trope will probably happen to ''Creator/StephenKing'':
--->''King's stories, chock full of working-class characters, speak the language of these people (us!) in a way that will probably only be acknowledged fully after his death. Said death will doubtless provoke a Michael Jackson-esque frenzy of King criticism, posthumous awards, and his formal admittance into academia and "the canon."''
* Creator/PhilipKDick was an acclaimed science fiction writer, winning a Hugo award and a John W. Campbell Memorial Award, but his reputation as a giant of SF really didn't take off after his death in 1982, when a series of movie adaptations of his work, most notably ''Film/BladeRunner'' became popular. (''Blade Runner'' itself was initially a flop before becoming popular on home video.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* As Website/TheAgonyBooth's Albert Walker [[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/The_NeverEnding_Story_II__The_Next_Chapter_1990.aspx remembers]] and describes as "Dying Young Retroactively Makes You More Talented", the suicide of Jonathan Brandis earned him this status ("Seriously, prior to his death, reviewers mostly described Brandis' ''Series/SeaQuestDSV'' character as a dopier version of [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Wesley]] [[CreatorsPet Crusher]]").
* Creator/JohnRitter was never much of a ratings draw after ''Series/ThreesCompany'' ended. But after his sudden and unexpected death, everyone fell over themselves proclaiming him a genius and ''Company'' one of the greatest sitcoms of all time (as well as his current show, ''Series/EightSimpleRules'', to a lesser extent). The media circus surrounding his death - on the two-year anniversary of 9/11, no less - was so massive that his widow Amy Yasbeck joked that she "married Elvis".
* Creator/PhilHartman ran away with the trope. Although he did not win an Emmy posthumously for Outstanding Supporting Actor for ''Series/NewsRadio'' (causing his co-star Dave Foley to humorously quip, "What does a guy have to do to win an Emmy around here?"), the outpour of respect for him since his death has been immense. Many have since cited him as the "glue" that kept ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' together during its second creative peak in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and while he rarely got to be known as a superstar like his fellow cast members (Creator/DanaCarvey, Creator/MikeMyers, Creator/AdamSandler, Creator/ChrisFarley), he's now regarded as one of the greatest (and perhaps the most versatile) performers of the ''SNL's'' history. Additionally, he was extremely popular for his recurring work as Troy [=McClure=] and Lionel Hutz on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', with some even stating that his death coincided with the point where [[SeasonalRot the series started to lose its luster]].
* Jade Goody was generally described as being thick, ugly, and a racist. Until she got diagnosed with a terminal illness.
* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'' Fred Rogers was deeply admired while he was alive but since his death in 2003, he has been elevated to be an American saint of television.
* Creator/CoryMonteith. He was well-respected before his death, but afterwards, his work has become much more respected - like Music/{{Selena}}, this is mostly due to imagining what could have been. In fact, much outrage was sparked when it was reported that Monteith would be featured prominently in the 2013 Emmy Awards' "In Memoriam" montage, whereas other actors had been excluded. Adam Klugman, son of late actor Jack Klugman, who'd also been excluded from the montage, [[http://news.yahoo.com/actor-deserves-individual-emmy-tribute-son-says-164440314.html was very critical]] of what he believed was over-promotion of Monteith's life and career.
* While he was alive, Creator/ErnieKovacs was a critical and cult favorite but never had much in the way of mainstream success. He was rediscovered after his death and is now considered one of the founding fathers of TV comedy.
* Creator/JimHenson is similar to Mister Rogers in that he was very well appreciated in life, but the [[http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/tributes/henson/index.shtml general opinion]] of him ''especially'' outside of the Muppet fandom escalated after he passed away in 1990.
* Creator/PatrickSwayze was already an iconic film star, but after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, he started gaining newfound appreciation as he did the short-lived police drama ''Series/TheBeast'' while undergoing treatment. [[TheFireflyEffect Unfortunately, despite positive reviews, the show had low ratings]] because Swayze was unable to promote it himself. The show was put on a hiatus after its first and only season, with the intention of revival once he was in better shape. Sadly, he died from the cancer in September 2009, and the show was summarily canceled, but his {{Determinator}} attitude earned him greater esteem.
* Creator/AndyWhitfield achieved his StarMakingRole in ''Series/SpartacusBloodAndSand'' right before he was diagnosed with cancer. He died eighteen months later and his role as Spartacus was recast, but he was still considered the star of the show and touted as a real-life badass by fans - often treating him as if he were Spartacus in real life. In lots of ways, his critically acclaimed performance in the show has led to his previous work being rediscovered.
* Deirdre Barlow wasn't a particularly popular character on ''Series/CoronationStreet'' (with a lot of fans mockingly nicknaming her 'Dreary' for her habit of ending up in depressing storylines). However, when her actress Anne Kirkbride died suddenly of breast cancer in 2015, she was re-evaluated as one of the soap's long-running characters (she'd been on the soap since she was 18 and died at 60) and the media was more appreciative of her role in several important storylines - most famously her imprisonment in 1998 and the subsequent "Free the Weatherfield One" campaign. Anne Kirkbride was then posthumously given an Outstanding Achievement Award.
* Another ''{{Series/Glee}}'' example is Naya Rivera, whose death in 2020 made worldwide headlines partly because of the tragic circumstances surrounding it; she had been out swimming with her four-year-old son and managed to get him to safety on their rented boat, before drowning. Her body was not found until five days later, eerily coincidental on the anniversary of co-star Cory Monteith's death. Her ''Glee'' performance of "If I Die Young" (itself a tribute to Cory Monteith) received a surge of attention. Likewise, her character Santana was evaluated as an important step in both Latino and LGBT representation of TheNewTens.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/KurtCobain was valued before he died, and they did have several hit singles at the time, but Music/{{Nirvana}} probably wouldn't have sold 50 million albums and been considered such a genre-defining band without the dramatic suicide (Music/PearlJam, for instance, was easily outselling Nirvana at the time).
* Rap music, in general, is fascinated with this trope more than other genres. Many rappers who had small, cult followings end up getting deified and endlessly shouted out in other rappers' songs after their deaths; this gets taken to ridiculous levels when you see rappers who had beef with each other [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead talk about how much they admired the now dead rival.]]
** Music/TupacShakur.
** Music/TheNotoriousBIG has been hailed by many as the greatest rapper of all time...after he died. With only two albums, ''Music/ReadyToDie'' and ''Music/LifeAfterDeath'' completed in his lifetime, to boot. On top of that, his untimely death in 1997 is likely one of the major reasons his second album ''Life After Death'' went Diamond in 2000 way before his more popular rival Music/TupacShakur even did, even though Biggie was already very popular, to begin with.
** Music/BigL's second album The Big Picture, published a year after his death in 1999, went Gold and was L's most successful album, especially compared to his first album Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous, which was the only album he released when he was still alive.
** Music/JDilla, while very popular due to his works with notable acts (including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, The Roots, The Pharcyde, Madlib, and Common), wasn't known as well for his solo career. While very successful and admired in the hip-hop community while he was alive, his largest first-week sales as a solo artist was due to the re-release of his EP-turned-album Ruff Draft (heck, the original release was unsuccessful) in 2007, one year after his death.
** Music/XXXTentacion was a rapper who grew popular in the late 2010s for his dark lyrics and unique beats, yet was heavily scrutinized for his criminal record, including abuse allegations from his pregnant wife. After he was killed while leaving a motorcycle dealership, a wave of posthnoumous support came in, declaring X as one of the best rappers of the new generation and a pioneer in mumble rap.
* [[Music/HidetoMatsumoto hide]], a Japanese rock guitarist for the band Music/XJapan and who also had a solo career. Very popular in life (and arguably could have been ''the'' person to break the "barrier" between Japanese rock and metal and Western rock and metal had he lived) but far, far, FAR more popular after his death.
* Music/TaijiSawada, also of Music/XJapan (and Music/{{Loudness}}) and Music/TheKillingRedAddiction and lots of other bands) has also experienced this - in a more understated way. He's nowhere near the CashCowFranchise or wide publicity hide is, but his solo work did get lifted out of relative obscurity on Youtube (and with people who will happily reupload the now out-of-print stuff every time it's deleted) and his bass virtuosity and lyrical skills (along with some of the opinions he expressed in his autobiography, which finally got a full English translation ''because'' of his death) became VindicatedByHistory.
* Austrian singer Music/{{Falco}} ("Rock me Amadeus") supposedly said: "You've got to die in Vienna before the people will appreciate you."
* Music/JohnLennon didn't really become acclaimed until after his tragic assassination. His album ''Music/DoubleFantasy'', did go gold before Lennon died, as David Geffen told John when Geffen dropped by the recording studio on the night of Dec. 8, but it is possible that it wouldn't have won that Grammy -- reviews published in the three weeks between the album's release and Lennon's murder were lukewarm.
** Lennon, ironically enough, mentioned of this trope in interviews prior to his death. After his so-called "lost weekend" Lennon took in LA, where he was separated from Yoko and went on an alcoholic binge, leading to some embarrassing behavior around 1973-75, he reunited with Yoko, straightened himself out and took a five-year hiatus from the music industry to raise his son Sean. Lennon commented in interviews that the fact he did not die in Los Angeles meant that critics were free to take shots at his music, but had he died, everyone would be praising him and feeling empathy with his music and messages.
** Even earlier, in an interview during the 1960s, Lennon was asked how he might die, and [[FunnyAneurysmMoment jokingly remarked]] that "I'll probably get [[LoonyFan popped off by some loony]]."
* [=McCartney=]'s late wife Linda had often been ridiculed by members of the rock press and certain music fans as a mediocre talent in both music and photography, a punchline in many sexist "jokes" like "What do you call a cow with wings", etc., right up until the time of her death from breast cancer in 1998. Since then, and especially in the light of the Heather Mills drama, she has been reassessed as a songwriter and performer and a critical force in the band Music/{{Wings}} and Paul's solo groups; her solo efforts as compiled by Paul on the posthumous album ''Wide Prairie'' has received critical acclaim. Her photography and environmentalism have been better appreciated as well.
* Music/GeorgeHarrison has also been a beneficiary of this effect since his death in 2001. Suddenly people remembered why songs like "My Sweet Lord" and "Crackerbox Palace" had been so popular in their day. Additionally, George had been an object of frequent derision for his unabashedly religious music and for the red tape issues surrounding the ''Music/ConcertForBangladesh''. After his death, his spirituality became a point of respect, and he was hailed as being compassionate enough to "invent" the benefit concert. (Incidentally, his death made front-page news in Bangladesh itself.)
* Ian Curtis and Music/JoyDivision; while the band was already critically acclaimed during Curtis' lifetime, it was his suicide in 1980 that catapulted the band to legendary status (though some of the praise nowadays runs along the lines of "well, it's [[TrueArtIsAngsty depressing but at least he meant it]]"). The rest of Joy Division became Music/NewOrder and put out many more albums and hit singles, but tend to be overshadowed by Curtis' suicide. The biopic ''Film/TwentyFourHourPartyPeople'' focuses on Joy Division and moves on to the Happy Mondays with New Order appearing in the background, and Creator/AntonCorbijn's ''Film/{{Control}}'' covers Curtis' life and finishes with his death, with no mention of what the other three did. Grant Gee's ''Joy Division'' documentary contains barely a mention of anything past 1980.
** Well, ''Control'' was explicitly a biopic of Curtis' life. And interestingly, most of these tend to avert NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead, showing Ian for the JerkAss to his wife and child that he was.
* Brad Nowell and Sublime. As one reviewer put it:
-->(Death) gives the record a certain pathos, but that doesn't make the album any stronger.
* While Music/FreddieMercury was far from an unknown by the time he died, Music/{{Queen}} experienced a major popularity boost after his death. After their fall from popularity in the USA in TheEighties, Mercury told Music/BrianMay: "[[FunnyAneurysmMoment Guess I'll have to fucking die]] before we're big there again" - [[HarsherInHindsight which sadly was the case]]. Their album sales in 1992 were significantly better than their sales in the '80s and to date, about half of their sold albums have been since Mercury's death. The AIDS benefit concert dedicated to him certainly helped as well.
** Brian May [[WordOfGod mentioned in many interviews]] that Freddie encouraged Brian to release the latter's solo "Driven By You" single after Freddie's death, as the singer knew that public interest in Queen would skyrocket at that point and it would help the single soar up the charts.
* Music/LouReed was already appreciated and respected for his music and influence on many bands, but when he died in October of 2013, tributes and accolades were given by a huge number of people in the music industry. In fact, his death ultimately led to his induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 2015 (it was too late to add him in 2014 and the Music/VelvetUnderground had already been inducted in 1996).
* Cliff Burton, the dead bassist of Music/{{Metallica}}, has achieved legendary status within the heavy metal world. Probably because, back in 1986, he died when the tour bus slid on black ice, flipped over, and crushed him. The fact that, when they were lifting the tour bus up with a crane after the accident, they accidentally dropped it back onto him did not help.
** The kicker is the band drew cards for that bed. Guess which card Cliff drew? The Ace of Spades. No kidding. On the other hand, the band relocated to UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco because he'd join them on that condition; he was that good.
* When Jerry Garcia of Music/TheGratefulDead passed away, not only was there increased demand for the albums, but also for his line of men's ties and even Ben & Jerry's "Cherry Garcia" ice cream, which had existed since the mid-'80s and went from being one of its better selling flavors to the brand's biggest selling flavor of all time.
* In the words of Music/JimiHendrix:
-->"It's funny how most people love the dead. Once you're dead, you're made for life."
* Music/{{Mayhem}} has had countless singers throughout their history. One of them, Dead (real name Per Yngve Ohlin), in addition to being pretty unhinged in life (starving himself to "improve" his voice, burying his clothes in the ground and wearing them onstage while cutting himself), ultimately blew his head off with a shotgun while leaving a note that only said "Pardon the mess." The guitarist, Euronymous, then took a picture of his body before calling the police, the picture of which appeared on one of their album covers. He then, according to legend, made a ''stew out of the pieces of his brain and ate it'' (which Euronymous confirmed as false, though he apparently thought about it), and collected fragments of his skull and made necklaces out of them (Euronymous confirmed this one as true.) Now, guess which of their many singers was traditionally called the best?
** Second Mayhem example: original guitarist and songwriter Euronymous was murdered shortly after recording the band's proper debut album, ''De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas'', was completed. This album has effectively become the yardstick against which all subsequent Mayhem albums have and must be measured. His murderer, Varg Vikernes, was playing bass on that album. Varg's releases as Burzum later became entry-level black metal music [[SarcasmMode for unrelated reasons]].
* Music/EvaCassidy may be the epitome of this trope among female musicians. While she may have never actively sought out for fame and a stable career in the music business, she was relatively unknown outside her home state of Washington D.C. when she passed away from skin cancer in 1996 [[TheWoobie at the age of 33.]] She released a collaborative album with Chuck Brown entitled ''Music/TheOtherSide'' in 1992 with her own arrangements of classics like "God Bless the Child" and "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and won a couple of local music awards, but nothing else. Two years after her death, a compilation album, ''Music/{{Songbird}}'', was made, which sold over 100, 000 copies over the following months. A British music show then aired a poignant, DeliberatelyMonochrome video of Cassidy singing "Over the Rainbow", and ''Songbird'' shot up the charts. ''Eight million'' copies of her album have now been sold as of this writing, and her music has topped international charts. When [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce-5OWBNGNw you watch her perform though]] (shown here, performing her now-signature song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"), there is arguably something incredibly moving and angelic about her performance, knowing Death had taken her at such a young age.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged]] by Music/MichaelJackson. Granted, he sold over 270 million albums and helped define a generation, but he also spent pretty much the last two decades of his life as a pop-cultural punchline, almost universally dismissed as a walking train wreck and a [[ReclusiveArtist reclusive]] freak (and that's not even getting into the multiple accusations of child molestation leveled at him) whose GloryDays as an artist were ''long'' behind him. After his death, the media coverage and tributes completely reversed his reputation almost overnight, to the point of [[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/10/michael-jacksons-american-music-awards-nominations-unfair.html winning four AMA awards after his death]] for a ''2003 GreatestHitsAlbum''. ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' mocked this twice, first with a "brutally honest" obituary that pointed up both his personal failings and the failure of his family and handlers to do anything to help him, and second by declaring the post-mortem near-deification the Dumbest Event of 2009. This renewed popularity would take a major hit, however, with the release of the 2019 documentary ''Leaving Neverland''. Meticulously detailing two new accusations against Jackson, the documentary would end up prompting a widespread re-evaluation of the man's life and legacy and reignited the debate of whether or not it should be socially acceptable to separate art from the artist, although his overall popularity was not affected in the long run.
* Australian youth radio station Creator/TripleJ's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_J_Hottest_100_of_All_Time,_2009 Hottest 100 Of All Time 2009]] confirmed that DeadArtistsAreBetter, with 4 of the artists in the top 10 (Music/KurtCobain, Music/JeffBuckley, [[Music/JoyDivision Ian Curtis]] and Music/FreddieMercury) dying relatively young.
* Richey James Edwards, the lyricist and guitarist for the Music/ManicStreetPreachers mysteriously disappeared in 1995, and has been [[NeverFoundTheBody presumed dead]] since 2008. The band has had much more commercial success since then. Of course, this could be because, without his unique vision, they've produced several more pop-friendly albums (an album using lyrics left by him was released in 2009).
* Music/SidVicious didn't play on any of the Music/SexPistols' albums, didn't write anything and his amps were turned off live (the man [[DreadfulMusician couldn't even play]]). Still, he's the most famous "member" of the band because he died at 21 (and because he allegedly murdered his girlfriend, though that's a surprisingly small part of it).
* Music/{{Aaliyah}} was a rising star in the R&B genre and it was predicted she would become even bigger after ''Film/RomeoMustDie'' showed her crossing into films. But she had a growing HypeBacklash that said she owed far more to her beauty and production thanks to Timbaland. Since her death at the age of 22 in a plane crash in 2001, she's been remembered as a great singer who died too soon. In fact, many R&B singers who became famous in the 2000s like Beyonce, Ciara, Zendaya etc. cited her as their idol. She's still glorified to this day.
* Music/RonnieJamesDio. Even Ozzy fans love him now.
** This was probably helped by Ozzy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzfZ_2Yynt0 dedicating a performance of Road To Nowhere to Dio]].
* The famous ''Magazine/RollingStone'' cover with [[Music/TheDoors Jim Morrison]]: "He's hot. He's sexy. He's dead."
* Music/OzzyOsbourne has had nearly a dozen guitarists join his band, with varying levels of success, but which of them is considered the greatest? Randy Rhoads, of course, the one who died in a plane crash in 1982 and left a legacy even Zakk Wylde lives in the shadow of after playing on only 2 Ozzy albums, if you don't count the live Tribute album released in 1987 (it helps that Rhoads was also Ozzy's first guitarist, and had achieved some fame beforehand as the guitarist for Music/QuietRiot) and was a very influential guitar player during his time with Ozzy.
* Music/NickDrake achieved ''very'' little success in his life before his death, mostly attributed to the fact that never gave interviews and almost never performed live, attributed to debilitating mental illness (he died from an overdose on psychiatric medication, most likely unintentional as psych meds back in the '70s were notoriously dangerous). Afterward? People started discovering him, and his sales started increasingly tremendously. Though he didn't achieve true success until almost ''forty years later'', when his song "Music/PinkMoon" was used in [[RepurposedPopSong a Volkswagen ad]]. In the ensuing months, his albums sold more copies than they had in the last 35+ years ''combined''.
** Nick was so painfully introverted, he almost never performed for an audience (which didn't help his career). One time when he tried, he felt rejected because the crowd wouldn't be quiet and listen (hardly a headliner, he was providing background music for a popular club). He played for small groups of friends, often astonished by his ability. Nick's work did sustain the attention of one important man: producer Joe Boyd, also crucial in the careers of Fairport Convention, Music/RichardThompson and The Incredible String Band.
** In a haunting case of HarsherInHindsight, Drake described this trope in "Fruit Tree" from his very first album, predicting his own posthumous fame: "Fame is but a fruit tree, So very unsound / It can never flourish 'till its stock is in the ground..."
* Music/{{Pantera}}'s Dimebag Darrell. Before his death? Badass metal guitar player who helped keep the solo flag flying. After his death? '''THE GREATEST PLAYER SINCE RANDY RHOADS!''' (see above)
** To be fair, a lot of people believed that ''before'' his death. When Dimebag was a teenager he won so many local guitar competitions that he was eventually banned from participating in order to give other players a chance to win. In the 1990s the readers of ''Guitar World'' magazine voted Dimebag Darrell "Best Metal Guitarist" several times.
* Music/AmyWinehouse is not a perfect example. She was a very successful artist before her untimely passing at the age of 27. Her album ''Music/BackToBlack'' sold over 20 million copies worldwide (even more impressive when you consider that record sales were at an all-time low at that point), had 15 charted singles, many of which were international hits, won numerous awards - including 5 Grammys in one night - and by their own admission directly inspired and paved the way for the likes of Music/{{Adele}}, Music/LadyGaga, [[Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine Florence Welch]] and Music/{{Duffy}} (among others). However despite this in the later years of her life, she was ridiculed by the media for her substance abuse problems and dismissed as a terrible role model. After her death, however, the focus was not only on her music but also on her charitable activities which had never been mentioned before.
** NME voted Winehouse "Villain of the Year" in 2008 and 2009 over the likes of UsefulNotes/OsamaBinLaden, UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush, and UsefulNotes/TonyBlair as well as the "Worst dressed performer" (to be fair, they had given both of her albums stellar reviews nevertheless). Just 4 years later, in 2012, they voted "Rehab" the second greatest song of all time and Winehouse herself as the 5th greatest icon of all time (and one place above Music/JimiHendrix to boot.) They also published an article called "How NME fell for Amy" and referred to her as a fashion icon.
** Virgin Music Awards also voted Winehouse "loser of the year" in 2009 and "legend of the year" after her death in 2011.
*** In all fairness much of the treatment Amy Winehouse received during the later years of her life is arguably more a case of ValuesDissonance than anything else. The way the media ridiculed her struggles with mental health, and also the misogynistic way she was treated by the media. (For instance, at the exact same award ceremony where she was voted villain of the year, Pete Doherty was voted hero of the year.) Would not be seen as acceptable today where there is a greater awareness and sympathy towards people with mental health problems and a greater focus on misogyny in the media too.
* Although Creator/DeanMartin has always had some measure of popularity, he seems to have gotten much more positive attention in death than in his lifetime, when under the shadows of Creator/JerryLewis and Music/FrankSinatra. It is almost as likely that posthumous compilations of his greatest hits will turn up in record shelves as Frank's.
* Music/WhitneyHouston did sell over 170 million records in her career, but she was ridiculed by the media constantly for her problems with drugs and alcohol, her increasingly erratic behavior, and her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown during the last decade of her life. Shortly after her death, sales of her records soared, tributes to her began to pour out, and [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead jokes about the problems she had were largely forgotten]].
** Once again however it may be seen as a case of ValueDissonance as to why her mental health problems are no longer discussed in quite such a sneering way.
* While Davy Jones of Music/TheMonkees was hugely popular in TheSixties, he fell out of mainstream exposure since the mid-'90s despite continuing to be musically active; getting a brief resurge in popularity after his unexpected February 2012 death. Jones' death also caused fellow Monkee Music/MichaelNesmith to reunite with his former bandmates for touring, having separated from them since 1996.
* This can also be said for '70s disco queen Music/DonnaSummer; her passing from cancer just three months after Jones' passing caused people to remember why songs like "Hot Stuff" and "Last Dance" were so popular.
* Adam Yauch, AKA MCA of the Music/BeastieBoys, was GenreSavvy enough to attempt to prevent this by [[http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/adam-yauchs-will-prohibits-use-of-his-music-in-ads-20120809 forbidding the use of his music for advertising]] in his will.
* A subversion in one of the most bizarre incidents, [[Music/{{Rodriguez}} Sixto Rodriguez]] was a small-time Detroit folk singer who [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff didn't know he was a pop superstar in South Africa]], who was rumored to have died of suicide on stage. When he was discovered alive and well and performed in South Africa, the local populace felt like it was the equivalent of [[ElvisLives Elvis being found truly alive and performing again]]. ''Film/SearchingForSugarMan'' tells the complete story of Rodriguez's fall and rise.
* Music/ElvisPresley. It was once said by a handler that death was the best thing to happen to his career. In fact, he sold more albums and merchandise in the three years after he died than in his entire career! Also, it is not widely remembered that Presley's career and popularity was in uncontrolled freefall in the last couple years of his life; he could only score moderate hit singles (and even then they were generally relegated to the country western charts), critics savaged his new albums, and his fading physical condition and erratic live performances did not go unnoticed, with only blind loyalty (or perhaps the [[BileFascination innate attraction to watch a train wreck in action]]) selling tickets. His death made even his most critically lambasted recordings financially lucrative again and drew people to seek out even his worst movies.
* Jenni Rivera, a Mexican-American ''Banda'' singer largely unknown outside of the genre (although considering ''banda'' is practically the most-listened genre in Mexico, she was known by almost everyone there, even by the ones who didn't like her music) got a popularity push after her December 2012 death in a plane crash. Shortly before her death, she was in the news not because of her music, but due to her scandalous divorce from baseball player Esteban Loaiza, who allegedly cheated on Jenni with her own daughter. However, as of 2019 this seems to have been averted, she is not more popular than she was before her death, and she's mostly forgotten in the media except when talking about her daughter (also a banda singer) or her past scandals. ''Two'' biographical series about Rivera also emphasize the many troubles she went through throughout her life.
** Singer/actor Pedro Infante became one of the major icons of Mexican popular culture after he died in a plane crash in 1957 at the age of 39.
* Music/BobMarley was already popular during his lifetime, but only after his death did his fanbase expand beyond a cult reputation. Today he is perhaps the most well-loved musician in the Third World. And even in the United States, his fan base has grown considerably.
* Blues singer Music/RobertJohnson died in obscurity back in the 1930s. His reputation only grew a few decades later, when his music was rediscovered by collectors of authentic American folk music. Those collectors later introduced mainstream audiences to his music when his sides were compiled on the bestselling albums ''Music/KingOfTheDeltaBluesSingers'' and the Grammy-winning ''Music/RobertJohnsonTheCompleteRecordings''.
* It's difficult to tell whether the reputations of Music/CharlieParker, Music/BillieHoliday, and Music/JohnColtrane would have been so enormous if they hadn't passed away at such a young age.
* Music/FrankZappa once said that he didn't care whether he was remembered at all and bitterly assumed that this would be the case after he died. Though he will never become a mainstream favorite his music is now far more popular and acclaimed than during his lifetime.
* After Music/CaptainBeefheart's death, his discography, amazingly enough, started selling better than ever before.
* Music/JeffBuckley's death has caused an enormous interest in his music and made his first posthumous album ''Music/SketchesForMySweetheartTheDrunk'' sell far better than it would have in normal circumstances.
* Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole. Popular and acclaimed regionally before his death; popular and acclaimed worldwide afterwards.
* Music/BuddyHolly and Music/RitchieValens would almost certainly not have gotten their {{Biopic}}s had it not been for the fateful Winter Dance Party flight. Averted in the case of Music/TheBigBopper, though it's arguably due to the effects of this that he even gets mentioned at all nowadays.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Jamerson James Jamerson]] was {{Creator/Motown}}'s first-call bassist in its classic era. He wasn't very well-known to the public and had a long struggle with [[ArtisticStimulation alcoholism]] that led to his death at age 47 in 1983. Years later, as interest in the careers of session musicians grew, Jamerson was rediscovered and is now usually considered to be one of the most important bassists of all-time. One unintended side effect is that Jamerson sometimes gets erroneously credited with bass work on songs that were actually done by other Motown bassists like [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Babbitt Bob Babbitt]].
** Interest in Jamerson seems to have led to most interest in general in the "Funk Brothers" (Motown's in-house session musicians), many of them deceased as of 2014, and the documentary movie about them, entitled ''Film/StandingInTheShadowsOfMotown'' received much acclaim.
* Although {{Music/Selena}} was a pretty big deal in Latin America at the time of her death in 1995, she was unknown in the US until the circumstances of her shocking murder made headlines all over the world. Her anticipated English-language crossover, ''Music/DreamingOfYou'', was released just a few months later, and the residual media interest is at least partly responsible for the album's record-breaking commercial success. Nearly all of the critical acclaim for that record seems to be influenced in some way by the tragedy and imagining what could have been. The successful [[{{Film/Selena}} biopic]] and Selena's status as a folk hero/borderline religious icon in the Mexican-American community continue to fuel interest in, and admiration for, her life and musical legacy.
* Paul Baloff of {{Music/Exodus|Band}} was often considered a poor singer with too much anger and no control over his voice during his lifetime. After his death, having sung on only one studio album and one live album, he was widely praised for his raw, chaotic vocal style, as well as his enthusiasm for thrash metal.
* Film composer Music/JamesHorner has gotten this treatment following his June 2015 death in a plane crash. Prior to his death, Horner had a VocalMinority of detractors accusing him of ripping off pieces of music from other artists, though he was still respected overall.
* Music/CharlesMingus was a respected jazz bassist and bandleader but was really only considered a genius after his death in 1979 from ALS.
* The Rev from {{Music/Avenged Sevenfold}}'s recognition as a drummer increased greatly when he passed away from a drug overdose in December 2009 at age 28 and is now commonly cited as one of hard rock/heavy metal's greatest drummers.
* Richard Wright was the main keyboardist for Music/PinkFloyd and instrumental for defining the band's signature sound, even leading it for a while following Music/SydBarrett's exit. His work was generally overshadowed though by the more prominent members like [[Music/RogerWaters Waters]], Gilmour, and the after-mentioned Syd, and in general just seen as 'there' by the general public. It wasn't until after his death in 2008 (and the [[Music/TheEndlessRiver tribute album]] the band put out for him) that his role in the band's success became officially recognized.
* Music/SuicideSilence lead singer Mitch Lucker was pretty popular during his short lifetime. However, after a November 2012 motorcycle crash claimed his life, his fans seem to love him way more and often pay tribute to him online. They even wish he was still alive.
* Legendary British singer Music/CillaBlack got her ''first'' number one album after dying of injuries after falling from her balcony in 2015.
* After his death, Music/{{Motorhead}} frontman Lemmy got massive media coverage. Although his death was late in 2015, he is remembered as the start of the series of tragic deaths from 2016.
* Music/NatalieCole briefly got this after her sudden death on New Year's Eve 2015. Sadly, her passing was completely overshadowed by a number of celebrities with even greater media prominence who died in the weeks and months since she did.
* The year 2016 was marked by the deaths of three prominent music stars and their subsequent reactions:
** First, Music/DavidBowie's death in January almost approached Music/MichaelJackson levels in terms of media exposure. Bowie was widely admired at the time but was seen as something of a ReclusiveArtist because he spent nearly a decade out of the limelight following a severe on-stage heart attack in 2004, and didn't tour when he resumed recording again in 2011. His last album ''Music/BlackstarAlbum'' was released just two days before his death, and while it sold well and earned critical acclaim upon release, posthumous sales skyrocketed (even knocking Music/{{Adele}} off the top spot in most areas) and the album quickly came to be regarded as Bowie's greatest work.
** Then Music/{{Prince}}, who had fallen out of the limelight for years until his death in April, upon which he became a media juggernaut to an even greater extent than Bowie did. At the time of his death, he was still a highly regarded live performer (his last live performance was only one week before his death) but his recent albums had received a less than stellar reception, and [[NewMediaAreEvil his stance on music streaming and]] Website/YouTube hadn't helped his popularity with younger audiences. The fact that he died rather young and of an unnatural cause (he died of an opioid overdose at 57; Bowie was taken out by cancer at 69) and the masses of [[ArchivePanic unreleased songs in his vault]] also helped feed his legend status. He even took over the ''entire top 10'' of the [=iTunes=] chart afterwards and much of the ''Hot 100'' as well.
** Finally, Music/GeorgeMichael, who died suddenly on Christmas Day, and who was younger than both Bowie and Prince, dying of natural causes at 53. Owing to a protracted dispute with his record label, Michael's solo career ground to a halt in the early '90s, particularly in the United States. His last album of new music was released in 2004 and he spent much of the next decade touring to a dwindling audience and dealing with various run-ins with the law and paparazzi. After his death, his music returned to the charts. The revelation that he was heavily (albeit anonymously) involved with philanthropic causes and gave millions away to charities for terminally ill children and the homeless also greatly improved his reputation.
* While this trope does seem to be a truism more often then not, there are a few cases where an artist fails to receive immediate posthumous recognition on account of their death being overshadowed by an even greater tragedy:
** Music/ChristinaGrimmie was due to become the new Music/{{Selena}} but ended up as a sad subversion, and within one day, no less. She was hardly a household name, mostly known for her stint on ''Series/TheVoice'', but she had a sizable following on social media. Her shocking murder at an Orlando theater in 2016 made national and international headlines, largely due to the circumstances that were not unlike those of Selena's death (a crazed fan shot and killed her at an autograph signing before turning the gun on himself), and also the fact that she was only ''22''. Sadly, it didn't last long as not even one day later, her murder was completely overshadowed by a shooting at a gay nightclub just a few miles away -- the deadliest in U.S. history at the time. The coverage for that tragedy and the world's reaction to it was so massive that Grimmie's death was reduced to barely a blip on the radar overnight. Only time will tell if Grimmie becomes a proper example of this trope.
** Music/TheGerms were a relatively popular L.A. area band mainly known outside of their devoted fanbase for being unbookable due to their shows frequently ending in riots. It wasn't until frontman Darby Crash died of suicide that the band was VindicatedByHistory and recognized for helping to kickstart the HardcorePunk movement, although it took a while to set in due to Darby's death occurring the day before John Lennon was killed.
** Unlike other celebrity deaths that occurred the next year, the tragic death of [[Music/StoneTemplePilots Scott Weiland]], aged 48, in December 2015 was largely forgotten about because it occurred just after the tragedy in San Bernardino.
** Music/TomPetty was always an iconic rock star, and his sudden passing on October 2, 2017, only a week after wrapping up the Heartbreakers' 40th anniversary tour, affirmed his legacy. Sadly, his death got overshadowed by the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas, which soon become the deadliest mass shooting in American history ([[HistoryRepeats overtaking the one that had obscured Grimmie's death]]). It didn't help that there had initially been conflicting reports over whether he had passed on or not.
** Barbara Weldens was a young, rising French singer who released her first album in February 2017, to much acclaim. Unfortunately, a few months later she was electrocuted after tripping on a loose wire [[FatalMethodActing while onstage]]. She might have been an example of this if she had any recognition outside of France, and even there all mention of her was obscured by Chester Bennington's death one day later (see below).
* While he was highly valued throughout his life and was far from being forgotten, Mexican singer Juan Gabriel became the Latin American highest example of this trope, surpassing Selena, after his sudden death in August 2016, just two days after giving a concert in Los Angeles and the same day the final episode of his autobiographic TV series premiered in Mexico. The reaction to his death was comparable to those of Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Michael Jackson.
** Three years later, fellow singer José José's passing rivalled Juan Gabriel's in terms of media exposure and public reaction, especially after he spent his last decade as a sad shell of his former self.
* Music/BigStar would probably never have become one of the most influential PowerPop bands if founding guitarist Chris Bell, half of the driving force of ''[[AcclaimedFlop #1 Record]]'', hadn't died at the young age of 27.
* Russian's cult alternative musician [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Letov Yegor Letov]] managed to subvert the trope - due to his highly non-conformist behavior, constant light drug usage, and rather nihilistic approach to life in general, on one point he was ''expected'' to be killed in some kind of accident or to die of suicide sooner or later. His actual death (heart failure while sleeping) was quiet and painless contrary to preposterous predictions from many mass media, and for the lack of any big scandals surrounding his persona during the last days of his life, Letov's CultClassic status remained practically the same as it was before his death.
* Although a certain reinterest in her and her work was already brewing in the last years of her life, particularly with Bridget Fonda's character Kelly Porter in ''Film/GraceOfMyHeart'' being loosely based on her [[note]]Lesley co-wrote a song Kelly sang in the movie, "My Secret Love", but was unhappy with the experience and in not even being invited by the film's producers to the movie premiere[[/note]], and "You Don't Own Me" being featured heavily in ''Film/TheFirstWivesClub'', the death of [[TheSixties 1960s]] TeenQueen Lesley Gore in 2015 to cancer seems to have further awakened interest in her music, with Australian pop singer Grace covering "You Don't Own Me" (using Lesley's '60's producer, QuincyJones) with an assist from rapper Music/GEazy for a hit popularized by a trailer to ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' and Lesley's original recording being inducted in the 2017 Grammy Hall of Fame. Labels like the London-based Ace Records and American label Real Gone Music have reissued her back catalog, and a biography based on her life, also titled "You Don't Own Me", was released in 2016.
* Music/{{Soundgarden}} were very popular in the '90s, but they were never given the same recognition as Music/{{Nirvana}}. Things changed with Music/ChrisCornell's death in May 2017 and their reputation greatly improved.
* Music/LinkinPark, already often mocked for being a NuMetal band early on in their career, was suffering major critical and fan backlash after their new pop sound on their album ''One More Light'', and lead singer Chester Bennington for his defence of the album and angry retorts at fans. His suicide in July 2017, just two months after his close friend Chris Cornell's (on the latter's birthday, no less), led to vindication of the new album and former fans reevaluating the band as a whole, as well as increased activism for mental health issues.
* Swedish DJ and producer Avicii had initially hit it big with songs such as 2011's "Levels" and 2013's "Wake Me Up", with even more songs such as "Addicted to You" "Seek Bromance", and "Hey Brother" becoming very well-known songs in the electronic music world. However, Avicii's career and reputation had hit a low point [[SophomoreSlump after the release of his sophomore album]] ''Stories'', with few artists mentioning him, and with outspoken critics such as Music/{{deadmau5}} criticizing his lack of variety in his work. After his tragic suicide at the age of 28 in 2018, however, Avicii's popularity skyrocketed once again, with many people praising his influence in the dance music industry (in particular, the way he combined electronic music styles with country music on his debut album), and how he passed away too soon. As of late April of 2018, "Levels", "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" have [[http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20180427/7501/ re-entered the UK Top 100 Singles Chart]].
* In June 2018, Music/{{Pantera}} lost its second key member in the form of drummer Vinnie Paul (who is also the above-mentioned Dimebag Darrell's brother). Following Paul's passing, many fans and critics reevaluated certain parts of Paul's discography[[note]]most notably his work with Damageplan and Hellyeah[[/note]]. Tributes were poured in by many iconic bands in the hard rock and heavy metal community. News about Paul's passing was also covered by mainstream news sites such as Creator/{{CNN}}, Creator/FoxNews, and Creator/{{MSNBC}}.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Poetry]]
* Creator/SylviaPlath. When she was alive, she struggled to gain recognition at all for her poetry. After her death? She was the first poet to posthumously win the Pulitzer Prize, is now regarded as one of ''the'' key figures in confessional poetry, and Joyce Carol Oates hailed the publication of Plath's unabridged journals as a "genuine literary event."
** Both her contemporary Anne Sexton and her husband Ted Hughes might also fit this trope.
* OlderThanRadio: After Creator/JohnKeats' death, literati everywhere said he would've surpassed Shakespeare if he had lived longer. He did die at the age of 26, though, and only really began producing once it was clear he was dying, so they might have a point.
* Creator/EmilyDickinson wasn't even published before her death. If she had been well enough to destroy her own work before she died (instead of trusting a friend to do so) we never would have seen a word of it.
* Charles Bukowski. He became somewhat popular in TheEighties but is now considered a legend.
* Roman poet Marcus Valerius Martialis (known as Martial) complained of this in the first century AD. "You puff the poets of other days, The living you deplore. Spare me the accolade: your praise Is not worth dying for.". Making this (at least according to Martial) [[OlderThanPrint older than print]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* Initially averted by Wrestling/ChrisBenoit. As when word broke out of what ''really'' happened to himself and his family, much of the Internet Wrestling Community turned on him instantly, the same IWC that once worshiped him as their god. However, this started to turn back in his favor when it was revealed that, due to the many, ''many'' concussions he suffered during his wrestling career, his brain resembled that of an 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient, helping to explain the otherwise inexcusable act. Adding to this is the accounts of his close relatives, mentioning that Benoit never got over the death of his best friend Wrestling/EddieGuerrero (and witnessed a lot of his wrestling friends dying at young ages), which would explain why he ended up losing it. These days, while there is still condemnation, at the very least the IWC can understand that he was not completely at fault as circumstances were simply not that kind to him.
* Played straight by most other wrestlers who die young though, especially Wrestling/OwenHart, who was never more than an upper-midcarder at best in his lifetime (though according to Wrestling/TripleH, he was about to get a ''major'' push when he died; the push that Triple H himself ended up getting, in fact), Wrestling/RandySavage (whose soiled reputation -- largely due to an alleged sex scandal involving an underage Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon -- was completely rehabilitated overnight) and Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, who was extremely over but then became like a GOD after his death.
* As a rule of thumb, songs by professional wrestlers tend to be SoBadItsGood at best. However, Wrestling/RandySavage's rap album, ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG7jTAGliyY Be A Man]]'', has been looked upon much more favorably after his death. The Bryan & Vinny Show went so far as to point out that rap artists have been known to release albums posthumously, so they expressed hope that another one would be released someday.
* Nearly averted by Wrestling/UltimateWarrior, who had built a standing over the last couple of decades as a recluse, bridge-burner (he basically refused to involve himself with anything WWE-affiliated), {{Cloudcuckoolander}}, and cynic (with some mild-to-moderate bigotry suggested as well). At [=WrestleMania=] XXX, he put all that to rest and made up with several people whom he shared beefs with, got inducted into the 2014 Hall of Fame, mending things over with the audience the night after, which preceded his death from heart failure the following day. All this went to restore his reputation, allowing him to be fondly remembered in the times after as a great wrestling legend without the need for posthumous reconsideration.
* Wrestling/{{Chyna}} didn't have the best relationship with WWE after her departure from the company due to her career in pornography, but after her death, both Triple H and Stephanie [=McMahon=] acknowledged her accomplishments. She was eventually posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of Wrestling/DGenerationX, which seemed very unlikely while she was still alive[[note]]Presumably out of fear that someone with such unstable mental health shouldn't be allowed near a live microphone.[[/note]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports]]
* ''UsefulNotes/FormulaOne'' has the Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna. He's one of the most talented and noteworthy drivers from the '80s-'90s, renowned as an effectively aggressive driver who won three world championships within a short time and a master at driving in heavy rain - though admittedly he was not without powerful rivals. Following his shocking death in the 1994 San Marino GP, however, he has become an unrivaled legend that absolutely nobody in the future can match, especially considering the extreme TheyChangedItNowItSucks attitude from the fanbase. [[UpToEleven This is especially true in Brazil]], where Senna became the country's biggest sporting hero, even surpassing Pelé, after his death - to the point that other Brazilian F1 champions like Emerson Fittipaldi and Nelson Piquet are completely forgotten, and good Brazilian drivers who never won the championship like Rubens Barrichello and Felipe Massa are treated as symbols of shame. Many former Brazilian F1 fans insist F1 died with Senna.
* In the North American racing series, Dale Earnhardt (''UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}}''), Dan Wheldon and Justin Wilson (''UsefulNotes/IndyCar'') all won Most Popular Driver awards in the seasons they were killed in action, although like Senna, many can argue they were still at or almost at the peak of their talents when they died.
** An even bigger example is Bryan Clauson, who won Indy's Most Popular Driver award in 2016. Unlike Wheldon or Wilson, he never started a single race in the series outside of the Indianapolis 500, and wasn't even killed in an Indy car crash, but rather a sprint car crash on a dirt track. Much of his popularity from that season came from his campaign to run a combined 200 paved and dirt races in various disciplines (including the 500) in 2016 and reviving the old-school dream of short track open-wheel racers working their up to the promised land of Indianapolis.
* Former NHL player Pavol Demitra gained a lot of fans when he passed away, along with the rest of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, in a plane crash.
* Pete Maravich was considered a phenomenal basketball player but the lack of success of the teams he played for was held against him. LSU never made the NCAA tournament during his college years and he never made it past the first round of the NBA playoffs. Also, he ran into injury problems. But after his premature death at age 40 more attention was paid to his individual accomplishments and he's now considered one of the true legends of basketball.
* Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernandez did very well for a player who was in the early years of his career, including two All-Star Game appearances and winning Rookie of Year. His untimely death during a boating accident in September 2016 has ensured that he will always be a legend and one of the most beloved players in the team's history.
* Roberto Clemente was one of the great Major League Baseball players of the 1960s (15-time All-Star, MVP in 1966). After his death in 1972[[note]]He died in a plane crash off the coast of his native Puerto Rico, delivering humanitarian aid to survivors of an earthquake in Nicaragua[[/note]], a special Hall of Fame election was held four months later to waive the five-year waiting period (he was elected with a 92.7% percentage of the vote).[[note]]The Hall of Fame has since written a similar exception into its rules for induction. Any player otherwise eligible for induction who dies while active, or within the normal 5-year waiting period, becomes eligible for induction 6 months after his death.[[/note]] His career total of 3,000 hits is now considered the standard for a Hall of Fame-level player.
* Kobe Bryant was one of the most popular [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] players of all time thanks to his success on the Los Angeles Lakers, but even then, he was not ''quite'' the icon that, say, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan was. That all changed following his sudden death in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his beloved teenage daughter and seven others. Within hours of his passing, people were calling for the NBA silhouette to be changed to one of Bryant, and for his numbers #8 and #24 to be retired league-wide like the MLB did for Jackie Robinson and the NHL for Wayne Gretzky. Mark Cuban quickly announced that the Dallas Mavericks would retire #24 despite the fact Bryant never once played for them (or any other team); the Grammy Awards, which were held at the Lakers’ home Staples Center that night, quickly became a tribute to him; and guess what the NBA All-Star Game trophy was renamed to?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* Heinrich von Kleist is considered one of the great classics of German theatre, but before his 1811 suicide, he only managed to get two of his plays performed on stage, both in mutilated form. For instance, Goethe (in his capacity as director of the theatre in Weimar) felt it necessary to transform Kleist's one-act comedy ''Der zerbrochne Krug'' ("The broken jug") into a three-act play, thereby completely spoiling its effect. IN some respects Kleist was so far ahead of his time that he had to be VindicatedByHistory, which helps to explain why his ''Penthesilea'' and ''Amphitryon'' would have to wait until 1876 and 1898, respectively, for their first performance.
* It's hard to say if the Broadway musical ''{{Theatre/RENT}}'' would have turned into the long-running smash it is if its author, Jonathon Larson, hadn't died shortly before its debut, but it certainly added to the show's legacy. (However, unlike Angel, he didn't die of AIDS).
** Arguably, ''RENT'' was also highly valued because Broadway attendance was slumping at the time, and a RockOpera about sassy young hipsters offered appeal to someone besides middle-aged {{Camp}}-lovers and little old matinee ladies.
* Creator/NeilSimon was liked well enough before his death, but it's likely this trope's effects were subverted for the same reason as Tom Petty (see Music), as his peaceful passing at age 90 ended up being pushed aside for coverage of a shooting at a Florida E-Sports arena. Though the violence was ultimately not as bad as Route 91 was, another day had arrived and the news moved on.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Creator/SatoruIwata, former president of Creator/{{Nintendo}}, was a rather polarising figure for his strategy of attracting new, "casual" gamers with the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, as opposed to appealing to established players. Many called for him to resign after the UsefulNotes/WiiU failed to match sales with its UsefulNotes/XboxOne and UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 rivals. After he passed away in 2015, he was known as a fellow gamer who cared for Nintendo's audience, and more of his SugarWiki/GeniusProgramming feats were known -- almost universally turning his portrayal amongst gamers into a positive one.
* Prior to his untimely passing to COVID-19, Rick May was an obscure voice actor who had very little to his resume in a long time, despite having birthed the famous "DoABarrelRoll" meme. It was only after his death that his IMDB page got a profile picture and gamers started becoming truly aware of who he was, most famously the voice of Peppy and Andross in ''VideoGame/StarFox64'', Genghis Khan in ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpiresII'', Dr. M in ''VideoGame/Sly3HonorAmongThieves'', and the Soldier in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Creator/MontyOum was somewhat renowned and respected through his early animating career for neat personal passion projects like ''WebAnimation/DeadFantasy'', but Volume 1 of his last work ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' released to a rather lukewarm reception, with critics citing [[SpecialEffectsFailure janky animations]] and low production values. Just as the show was starting to hit its stride with Volume 2, Monty shockingly passed away in February 2015 from an allergic reaction in hospital. Colleagues have continued Monty's work and turned ''RWBY'' into a juggernaut which has become a smash hit ''in Japan'' and was featured in the Creator/ArcSystemWorks FightingGame ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', while Monty is considered to be one of the best (if not '''the''') 3D web animators to have ever lived.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes examples:
** Creator/TexAvery: Though his work was very popular and influential during his lifetime, the man himself never received the respect he deserved so well. It didn't help he was extremely shy and didn't like to be in the spotlight. He died in obscurity. Only after his death in 1980 did his reputation grow to critically lauded proportions.
** Creator/RobertMcKimson was quite shy and his work was always seen as more conformist compared to his fellow colleagues at Warners. His only two creations, ''WesternAnimation/FoghornLeghorn'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheTasmanianDevil'' were far more obscure compared to Bugs and Daffy and would only get more popular after his death. Today [=McKimson=]'s work is re-evaluated as fine draftsmanship. Two of his creations in particular (Taz and Speedy Gonzales, though the latter only became popular after Friz Freleng redesigned him) are among the most popular characters in the Looney Tunes staple. Taz even earned [[WesternAnimation/TazMania his own TV show]].
** Creator/BobClampett's problem had more to do with the fact that his 1930s and 1940s cartoons weren't seen that often in theaters and TV after the end of the war. He was also subject to a bitter hate campaign from his fellow colleague Creator/ChuckJones who claimed Clampett was an egotistical liar who took credit for things that he didn't invent in the first place. He got his reputation as an acclaimed cartoon director when his cartoons became available on TV, and many cartoon historians like Creator/JohnKricfalusi praised him for his work came after his death in 1984.
* Creator/JudithBarsi, a child actress best known for her roles in Creator/DonBluth's ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'' and ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'', died under [[PaterFamilicide tragic circumstances]] before either film came out. Because of this, her work is better regarded than it might have if she were alive.
* Creator/MaryKayBergman was a very respected voice actress in the '90s, but to most, she was best known as the lady who did all the female voices on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. After her sudden and tragic suicide however, her work became very highly regarded, and she's often cited as one of the greatest and most versatile voice actors of all time. Her passing also brought a lot of attention and awareness to mental health struggles.
* Creator/ChristineCavanaugh was another respected voice actress in the '90s, voicing many popular characters like Chuckie in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', Dexter in ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', Bunnie Rabbot in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', and Babe in ''Film/{{Babe}}''. However, by the time she passed away in December 2014, she had been retired professionally and [[ReclusiveArtist publicly]] for almost 15 years. It still didn't stop the news from reaching national headlines, and ensuring her work would reach classic status for nostalgic '90s babies.
* Creator/ClayMartinCroker was one of the many notable people who passed on in 2016. He did animation and voices for ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'', ''Creator/{{Toonami}}'', ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheBrakShow''.
* For the last few decades of his life, Creator/GeneDeitch's overall animation work was polarizing to many. Some enjoyed his work, but most weren't too keen on his style. His ''Tom & Jerry'' cartoons in the 1960s were especially hated amongst fans. When he passed away in April 2020 he was suddenly hailed as an animation genius, with numerous people now calling his ''Tom & Jerry'' shorts as "legendary works of art".
[[/folder]]

%%

* Bill Drummond (later a member of Music/TheKLF) wrote a song that appeared on his solo album ''The Man'' dealing with just this. The title: "Julian Cope Is Dead". During the song, Julian Cope dies in order to make his band, The Teardrop Explodes, famous. Bill used to be the manager of the band and the song is a parody of Cope's own solo song "Bill Drummond Said". Drummond's frustration with the music industry (and Cope in particular) is quite well known.

* Creator/HeathLedger was a critical darling during his lifetime, but the general public mostly knew him as "the guy from ''Film/BrokebackMountain''". That all changed when he died unexpectedly of an accidental drug overdose in 2008. His death wound up having a tremendous impact on the hype for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' (his last fully completed role) and it became the second-highest grossing film of all time in America (not adjusted for inflation), and the fourth to surpass $1 billion worldwide. Ledger won a lot of posthumous awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a first for a superhero movie. Even though Ledger's ''very'' final movie, ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'', received mixed reviews and only a moderate gross, his status as a Hollywood legend was fully cemented.

* Music/NickDrake achieved ''very'' little success in his life before his death, mostly attributed to the fact that never gave interviews and almost never performed live, attributed to debilitating mental illness (he died from an overdose on psychiatric medication, most likely unintentional as psych meds back in the 70s were notoriously dangerous). Afterward? People started discovering him, and his sales started increasingly tremendously. Though he didn't achieve true success until almost ''forty years later'', when his song "Music/PinkMoon" was used in [[RepurposedPopSong a Volkswagen ad]]. In the ensuing months, his albums sold more copies than they had in the last 35+ years ''combined''.

* Music/AmyWinehouse is not a perfect example. She was a very successful artist before her untimely passing at the age of 27. Her album ''Music/BackToBlack'' sold over 20 million copies worldwide (even more impressive when you consider that record sales were at an all-time low at that point), had 15 charted singles, many of which were international hits, won numerous awards - including 5 Grammys in one night - and by their own admission directly inspired and paved the way for the likes of Music/{{Adele}}, Music/LadyGaga, [[Music/FlorenceAndTheMachine Florence Welch]] and Music/{{Duffy}} (among others). However despite this in the later years of her life, she was ridiculed by the media for her substance abuse problems and dismissed as a terrible role model. After her death, however, the focus was not only on her music, but also on her charitable activities which had never been mentioned before.

*** In all fairness much of the treatment Amy Winehouse received during the later years of her life is arguably more a case of ValuesDissonance than anything else. The way the media ridiculed her struggles with mental health, and also the misogynistic way she was treated by the media. (For instance at the exact same award ceremony where she was voted villain of the year, Pete Doherty was voted hero of the year.) Would not be seen as acceptable today where there is a greater awareness and sympathy towards people with mental health problems and a greater focus on misogyny in the media too.

* Music/WhitneyHouston did sell over 170 million records in her career, but she was ridiculed by the media constantly for her problems with drugs and alcohol, her increasingly erratic behavior, and her tumultuous relationship with Bobby Brown during the last decade of her life. Shortly after her death, sales of her records soared, tributes to her began to pour out and [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead jokes about the problems she had were largely forgotten]].

* It's difficult to tell whether the reputations of Music/CharlieParker, Music/BillieHoliday, and Music/JohnColtrane would have been so enormous if they hadn't passed away on such a young age.

* Richard Wright was the main keyboardist for Music/PinkFloyd and instrumental for defining the bands signature sound, even leading it for a while following Music/SydBarrett's exit. His work was generally overshadowed though by the more prominent members like [[Music/RogerWaters Waters]], Gilmour and the after-mentioned Syd, and in general just seen as 'there' by the general public. It wasn't until after his death in 2008 (and the [[Music/TheEndlessRiver tribute album]] the band put out for him) that his role in the bands success became officially recognized.

** Finally, Music/GeorgeMichael, who died suddenly on Christmas Day, and who was younger than both Bowie and Prince, dying of natural causes at 53. Owing to a protracted dispute with his record label, Michael's solo career ground to a halt in the early '90s, particularly in the United States. His last album of new music was released in 2004 and he spent much of the next decade touring to a dwindling audience and dealing with various run-ins with the law and paparazzi. After his death, his music returned to the charts. The revelation that he was heavily (albeit anonymously) involved with philanthropic causes and gave millions away to charities for terminally ill children and the homeless, also greatly improved his reputation.

** Music/TomPetty was always an iconic rock star, and his sudden passing on October 2, 2017, only a week after wrapping up the Heartbreakers' 40th anniversary tour, affirmed his legacy. Sadly, his death got overshadowed by the Route 91 Harvest country music festival in Las Vegas, which soon become the deadliest mass shooting in American history ([[HistoryRepeats overtaking the one that had obscured Grimmie's death]]) . It didn't help that there had initially been conflicting reports over whether he had passed on or not.

* Russian's cult alternative musician [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yegor_Letov Yegor Letov]] managed to subvert the trope - due to his highly non-conformist behavior, constant light drug usage and rather nihilistic approach to life in general, on one point he was ''expected'' to be killed in some kind of accident or to die of suicide sooner or later. His actual death (heart failure while sleeping) was quiet and painless contrary to preposterous predictions from many mass media, and for the lack of any big scandals surrounding his persona during last days of his life, Letov's CultClassic status remained practically the same as it was before his death.

* In June 2018, Music/{{Pantera}} lost its second key member in the form of drummer Vinnie Paul (who is also Dimebag Darrell's brother). Following Paul's passing, many fans and critics reevaluated certain parts of Paul's discography[[note]]most notably his work with Damageplan and Hellyeah[[/note]]. Tributes were poured in by many iconic bands in the hard rock and heavy metal community. News about Paul's passing was also covered by mainstream news sites such as Creator/{{CNN}}, Creator/FoxNews, and Creator/{{MSNBC}}.

* Kobe Bryant was one of the most popular [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] players of all time thanks to his success on the Los Angeles Lakers, but even then, he was not ''quite'' the icon that say, UsefulNotes/MichaelJordan was. That all changed following his sudden death in a helicopter crash in January 2020, along with his beloved teenage daughter and seven others. Within hours of his passing, people were calling for the NBA silhouette to be changed to one of Bryant, and for his numbers #8 and #24 to be retired league-wide like the MLB did for Jackie Robinson and the NHL for Wayne Gretzky. Mark Cuban quickly announced that the Dallas Mavericks would retire #24 despite the fact Bryant never once played for them (or any other team); the Grammy Awards, which were held at the Lakers’ home Staples Center that night, quickly became a tribute to him; and guess what the NBA All-Star Game trophy was renamed to?

* Creator/HeathLedger was a critical darling during his lifetime, but the general public mostly knew him as "the guy from ''Film/BrokebackMountain''". That all changed when he died unexpectedly of an accidental drug overdose in 2008. His death wound up having a tremendous impact on the hype for ''Film/TheDarkKnight'' (his last fully completed role) and it became the second-highest grossing film of all time in America (not adjusted for inflation), and the fourth to surpass $1 billion worldwide. Ledger won a lot of posthumous awards, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, a first for a superhero movie. Even though, Ledger's ''very'' final movie, ''Film/TheImaginariumOfDoctorParnassus'', received mixed reviews and only a moderate gross, his status as a Hollywood legend was fully cemented.