Michael Jackson has sold nearly eight million records posthumously in the UK.
The late King of Pop, who tragically died five years ago today (25.06.14) from a lethal dose of Propofol, continues to be one of the best-selling and enduring artists of all time, according to the Official Charts Company, which measures music sales in Britain.
The ‘Thriller’ hitmaker has sold 3.8 million albums in Britain since his untimely death at the age of 50, while internet-savvy fans have downloaded individual tracks four million times.
The figures take into account two albums released after Michael’s death – 2010’s ‘Michael’, which peaked at number four, and the recently released ‘Xscape’, which marks the icon’s 10th number one album in the UK.
Meanwhile, ‘Man in the Mirror’ has been named the star’s best-selling track as it has been downloaded 413,000 times since Michael’s death.
The track, co-written by Michael, Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett, was originally released in 1988 and is lifted from the album ‘Bad’.
The seminal classic ‘Thriller’ is the second most downloaded song of the last five years, totalling 244,000 digital downloads. ‘Billie Jean’ came third with 224,000 downloads.
The top five is rounded out by ‘Smooth Criminal’ (188,000 downloads) and ‘Beat It’ (171,000 downloads).
Michael Jackson’s 10 most downloaded songs since his death:
1. ‘Man in the Mirror’ (1988)
2. ‘Thriller’ (1982)
3. ‘Billie Jean’ (1983)
4. ‘Smooth Criminal’ (1988)
5. ‘Beat It’ (1983)
6. ‘Hold My Hand’ featuring Akon (2010)
7. ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ featuring Justin Timberlake (2014)
8. ‘Dirty Diana’ (1988)
9. ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ (1987)
10. ‘Black or White’ (1991)
Michael Jackson sells 8m records in death
