Michael Jackson for a celebrity. The majority was due to the sale of the Sony/ATV catalog. It was the seventh consecutive year since his death in which Jackson's annual earnings were over $100 million. Note 1 Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century and is also regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made
Michael Jackson honor his legacy. A portion of the proceeds were presented to some of Jackson's favorite charities. In the 12 months after his death, Jackson sold more than 8.2 million albums in the United States and 35 million albums worldwide, making him the best-selling albums artist of 2009. He became the first artist to sell one million downloads in a week in music download history, with a record-breaking 2.6 million downloads of his songs. Three of his albums, "Thriller", "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson", sold more than any new album, the first time a catalog album has ever scanned