It's different in other countries. Australia put their Olympic athletes on stamps. Moldavia put the cast of the The X-Files on their stamps.

But here in the U.S., you have to be dead 10 years before you can be on a stamp. (Though for historical and presidential stamps, you don't have to wait that long. I believe presidential stamps usually appear on their first birthday after their death, so I'm expecting a Reagan stamp early next year.)

The reason for this rule is to get some historical perspective before putting someone's face on a stamp. Someone who seemed important once may no longer be, through the lens of history. Or they could do something embarrassing, as long as they're still alive. What if we'd made a Michael Jackson stamp back in his "Thriller" days, and he goes to jail for child molestation next year?