You may remember where you were when you heard the news 3 years ago today that Michael Jackson had died at the age of 50.  His tragic end of his life made many remember how great an artist he was, and how many artists were influenced by his talent.  Michael has been The King of Pop for decades - is he still the king?

The crown may someday go to someone else, but right now the legend that is Jackson will not die off just because he is no longer with us - it will take a unique career of longevity to overtake what this man did in music.

Michael's career included 31 Billboard Top-10 hits, including 14 #1 hits (5 of those off his Bad album), 4 of his albums selling at least 20 Million worldwide, Thriller is still the greatest selling release of all time with over 100 Million copies sold worldwide, and he was still selling after his death (his Michael CD released in 2010 sold over 3 Million worldwide).

Amazingly the business of Michael Jackson has actually made Billions of dollars in the last 3 years since his demise.  Jackson sold over 8.2 million albums in the U.S. and a total of 35 million albums worldwide in the 12 months that followed his death.  Michael became the first artist to sell 1 Million downloads in a week in download history, with a record-breaking 2.6 Million downloads of his songs.

We know that Jackson's personal life was at times bizarre, and marred by scandal.  His death made many remember his greatness as a singer, songwriter and performer.

There are potential candidates to MJ's crown, but it will take years to see someone (if anyone) can come close to challenging the numbers that Michael put up in his career.

3 years today after his death, Michael Jackson remains The King of Pop!

 

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