The world was shocked to the core when Michael Jackson, the greatest performer of all time, suddenly died at the age of 50 in 2009, leaving behind a legacy of hits and philanthropic work.
While he enjoyed five decades of global success when he was alive propelling him to icon status, recent reports claim the singer is more financially stable than he was at the height of his career.
Michael Jackson died five years ago on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50 (WENN)
The 'Billie Jean' hitmaker, who died five years ago after accidentally overdosing on powerful anaesthetic propofol, is undoubtedly the greatest performer in history with 15 Grammy awards, hundreds of millions of records sold, while also holding the best-selling album with 'Thriller.'
But in the five years since his death, his bright star has certainly not faded, and Michael has enjoyed a whole new surge of success with a chart-topping post-humous album, acrobatic tour, hologram and reportedly, more money in the bank than he had when he died.
So HAS Michael been more successful in the years since his death? Let's take a look at the evidence...
He's – reportedly – more financially stable than he was at the height of his fame
Zack Greenburg, author of Michael Jackson Inc., claims The Michael Jackson Estate, which in charge of the singer's affairs on behalf of his mother Katherine and three children, has earned more than $700 million (£411 million).
Greenburg told the AFP: "Michael Jackson is making more money now, five years after his death, than he had been since the prime of his career."
His second posthumous album 'Xscape' went to number one
In May, the album, which features eight songs originally recorded by Michael, and reworked by a host of producers including Timbaland, Babyface and Stargate, soared to number one in the UK, US and several other countries becoming the most successful release since his death.
The track 'Love Never Felt So Good' has become his seventh most downloaded track in the UK of all time. Not bad, right?!
(@Insideaacenter/Twitter)
His Cirque du Soleil show is still going strong...
In 2011, the world famous acrobatic show brought Michael back to the stage with an incredible production, titled Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, which features some of his biggest hits and has been ranked as one of the top 10 highest grossing music tours in history. It's still making its way around the world and is definitely a must see!
Is that really Michael? Nope, just a hologram!
Fans had to double take at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards last month when an illusion of Michael appeared on stage to perform the track 'Slave To The Rhythm.'
Similar to the hologram of Tupac that appeared at the 2012 Coachella, the graphical image of Michael was seen to interact with the dancers, walk around on stage, and show off those dance moves he became famous for.
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