delebrity

English

Etymology

Blend of dead +‎ celebrity.

Noun

delebrity (plural delebrities)

1. (neologism) A dead celebrity, particularly one whose image is used for promoting a product.
   • 2017 June 2, Ben Arnon, “'Delebrities' (Dead Celebrities) Are Very Big Business”, in HuffPost‎^[1], archived from the original on 2023-06-01:

     The licensing of names and images of dead celebrities can be very big business. Need more proof? Dead celebrities, or "delebrities," were everywhere at the 2017 Licensing Expo, which took place last week in Las Vegas. John Wayne and Bela Lugosi even had their own booths on the show floor.

Related terms

• deleb