In addition to our piece paying tribute to the Top 10 things we love about Michael Jackson, here is a look back at the many accomplishments that made him the most dominate pop force of the ’80s and ’90s. While Elvis Presley was the king of his generation, there’s no question who took over his throne.
- Thriller went platinum 28 times over — that is, it sold 28 million copies in the United States alone — the most ever for a studio album. Only the Eagles’ Their Greatest Hits sold more units. Worldwide, Thriller reportedly sold 100+ million copies, making it the overall bestseller.
- Thriller spent 37 weeks, or nearly nine months, atop the Billboard 200 album charts. Only the 1961 West Side Story soundtrack spent more time at No. 1 (54 weeks).
- When Thriller: 25th Anniversary Edition was released early last year, it sold 166,000 first-week copies. Had it been eligible for the Billboard 200 (as opposed to just the Catalog charts), it would have debuted at No. 2.
- Jackson is the first artist to debut atop the Hot 100 singles chart. He accomplished this feat in ’95 with “You Are Not Alone.” The song was so huge it even cracked the Hot Latin Songs chart!
- The Gloved One topped the Hot 100 a remarkable 13 times. That’s fourth all-time behind the Beatles (20), Mariah Carey (18) and Elvis (17).
- Bad landed five No. 1 singles, the most ever from a single album.
- Jackson has won 13 Grammy Awards, got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and earned a Guinness World Records entry as the “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.” In total, he’s received over 190 recognized awards.
- Set to return to the stage, the singer sold out 50 nights at London’s O2 arena, moving over a million tickets in just one city.
- The concert series, slated to start July 13, would have set records for the most people to see an artist in one city and in one arena series. It did set the record for the fastest sales moving 700,00 tickets in four hours.
- In 1984, President Reagan honored Jackson at the White House with an award for his charitable efforts.
- Jackson’s activism included co-writing “We Are the World,” starting the “Heal the World Foundation” for children and donating his $5 million share from the Jacksons’ Victory Tour to charities like the United Negro College Fund and the T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia and Cancer Research.