Michael CampbellTony Thorpe, the guitarist and vocalist who helped power glam-rock band The Rubettes to the top of the charts in the 1970s, died on July 18, 2026, at the age of 80. His family and former bandmates confirmed the news this week, remembering him as a "mentor to countless musicians" who kept writing, recording and touring on his own terms for decades after the hits stopped coming. But Thorpe's passing raises a question that follows every recording artist into the grave: what happens to the songs — and the money they still make — once the musician is gone?
The answer is more complicated, and more valuable, than most families realize. In the United States, a songwriter's work does not fall silent when the writer dies. It keeps earning, keeps streaming, and stays legally protected for generations. That turns a back catalog into one of the most misunderstood assets an estate can hold.
The News: A 1970s Hitmaker's Long Second Act
Thorpe joined The Rubettes in 1974, the same year the band's debut single "Sugar Baby Love" spent four weeks at number one in the United Kingdom and reached number 37 on the US charts, according to RTÉ. He left the group in 1979 over musical differences but never stopped working, releasing independent solo material and playing sessions for a string of well-known performers.
That long, do-it-yourself career is exactly the profile that modern estate law now has to reckon with. Thorpe was not only a member of a charting band; he was a rights holder in his own recordings and compositions. Each of those rights is a separate asset with its own value, its own royalty stream, and its own path of inheritance.
Why It Matters: A Song Outlives Its Writer by 70 Years
Under US law, copyright in a musical work created after January 1, 1978, lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years, according to the US Copyright Office. In practical terms, a song written by an artist who dies today can keep generating income until the 2090s — long enough for grandchildren, and sometimes great-grandchildren, to collect on it.
Streaming has made that timeline financially serious. Songwriter and performer royalties that once faded with radio play now trickle in month after month from Spotify, Apple Music and sync licensing for film, television and advertising. The American Bar Association notes that streaming has "breathed new life into previously dormant music catalogs," sometimes producing fresh income from songs the writer had long forgotten.
Those catalogs are also worth real money on the open market. According to a 2026 music-catalog valuation guide from Chartlex, independent song catalogs typically trade at roughly 8 to 14 times their annual net publisher share, rising to 18 to 24 times for blue-chip legacy catalogs with a long, stable earnings history. A modest but steady royalty stream can therefore represent a six- or seven-figure asset — one that heirs frequently overlook because it does not look like a house or a bank account.
The Expert Angle: Why Royalties Need a Wealth Manager, Not Just a Will
This is where a wealth manager or estate planner earns their fee. Royalty income is treated differently from most inherited property, and the differences trip up families who assume a simple will covers everything.
First, valuation is not optional. There is no single formula for pricing a catalog; a professional appraisal weighs past earnings, projected future income, the artist's current popularity, and genre and market trends. Getting that number right matters because copyrights and future royalties are counted in the taxable estate.
Second, the income itself is taxed. Royalties paid to heirs are generally treated as ordinary income and taxed accordingly, on top of any estate tax owed on the underlying rights. A family that inherits a catalog without planning can face a tax bill on an asset they have not yet learned how to collect from.
Third, the rights are fragmented. Publishing royalties, performance royalties, master-recording income and reversion rights can each be owned or administered by different parties. Naming a single heir "the music" in a will rarely captures how those streams actually flow.
What To Do: A Checklist for Artists and Their Heirs
If you or a family member earns money from creative work — music, but also books, photography, software or film — a few steps can prevent a valuable legacy from being lost or eroded.
- Get a professional valuation. Before you can plan around a catalog, you need to know what it is worth. A wealth manager working with a specialist appraiser can put a defensible number on future royalty income.
- Map every rights stream. Identify who administers your publishing, performance and master rights, and confirm the paperwork points to the people you want to inherit them.
- Use a trust where appropriate. Placing intellectual property in a trust can smooth the transfer, provide professional management for heirs who are not in the industry, and help manage the tax exposure.
- Update beneficiary and collection-society details. Performing-rights organizations pay whoever is on file. Outdated information is one of the most common reasons royalties go unclaimed after a death.
- Consult qualified professionals. An estate attorney handles the legal transfer; a wealth manager or financial adviser handles valuation, tax strategy and ongoing management of the income.
A specialist can help translate a lifetime of creative work into a durable, well-managed source of income for the people left behind — the difference between a catalog that quietly earns for decades and one that gets tangled in probate and unpaid taxes.
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Estate and copyright rules vary by situation and jurisdiction; consult a qualified professional before making decisions about intellectual property or inheritance.
For the millions of independent creators now building catalogs of their own, Tony Thorpe's long career is a reminder that the music can keep paying long after the final show — but only for families who plan for it.
