As the music world is still reeling from the untimely death of Grammy-winning crooner George Michael, new fans and old are clinging to the singer’s prized discography to remember him.
And, while it’s by no means unusual for an artist’s catalog to see a boost in sales posthumously, some acts – as legends David Bowie, Whitney Houston, and Prince exhibited at the time of their passings – exceed even the highest expectations. Now, Michael can add his name to that list.
Billboard reports:
“In the week ending Dec. 29, sales of Michael’s music — including with his former duo, Wham! — increased 2,678 percent (to 477,000 albums and songs, rounded to the nearest thousand) as compared to the previous week (17,000). Of the 477,000 total, album sales equaled 48,000 (up from just 1,000 the week previous), while song sales totaled 429,000 (an increase from 16,000 a week earlier).
In total, Michael/Wham! earned 103,000 equivalent album units during the tracking frame — a gain of 2,071 percent compared to the 5,000 units earned a week earlier.”
Tuck in below to see who joins George in this week’s refreshed TGJ Chart Check:
Billboard 200
R.I.P. Thank you for the music you gave to the world.
Absolute legend, his music will live on for years to come especially Last Christmas
r.i.p to him.
Still heartbroken over this ?
George Michael was my first gay role model and crush
And he had so many classics
Careless Whisper,Father Figure,Faith,One More try,Everything she wants and clubtropicana are my personal faves
And like Mariah Carey his friend said he gave us the first modern day Christmas classic with last Christmas
RIP George Michael ?
Rip to him and he made good Music