Michael Jackson’s record sales now exceed those of Elvis and Lennon

Sales of Michael Jackson’s music since the singer's untimely death last Thursday, exceed those of Elvis Presley or John Lennon after their sudden deaths, according to retailer HMV.

According to Simon Fox, chief executive of the company, since Jackson’s death, his album sales have surged eighty fold. In his life, the King of Pop sold over 750 million records.

HMV, which had been stocking up on Jackson’s albums in anticipation of a series of concerts in London that were supposed to be held this summer, sold all the CDs they had in stock and expects a new supply from Sony.

The most popular album among fans is the Number Ones compilation, followed by Thriller, 1983, which many consider his best album and is also the best selling album in the history of pop music.

The third highest selling album in recent days is called the 'King of Pop', released last August to celebrate the singers 50th birthday, followed by "Off the Wall", his first solo album.

'Man in the Mirror', a 1988 single in which the singer advised the audience to look inward to change the world, is currently the most downloaded single on the company’s website, http://www.hmv.com

Jackson was supposed to give 50 concerts in London and the promoter, AEG Live, may lose up to 300 million pounds (351 million Euros) for failing to insure thirty of the concerts.

Its president, Randy Phillips, told the Sky News T.V channel that he hopes the Jackson brothers will perform in Michael’s place in the London O2 auditorium.