Michael Jackson's Legacy?

Michael Jackson's death on June 25, 2009 was a huge shock to his fans, but also to his detractors. The world was reacquainted with the Michael Jackson of old and we were reminded of his talent, his music and the millions of fans around the world.

But even though his death resulted in accolades and waves of shock internationally, there were some that refused to sympathize with a man whom they say had questionable record with young children and displayed bizarre behavior towards the end of his life.

So what was Michael Jackson's legacy when he died? Was it the impenetrable footprint that he left on the music world? Or was it the images of him dangling his children off a balcony and the unresolved conduct with young kids?

Many would argue that it is his music that people will remember for years to come. Not his bizarre behavior in the latter stages of his life. He will be remembered as the king of pop and not "Wacko Jacko". And the millions of people that mourned his death, the thousands of tributes and the record breaking sales of the much anticipated movie "This Is It" seem to support this.

When the news of his death was reported, it caused websites to crash from user overload. Popular sites like Twitter, AOL and Wikipedia reported such huge surges of traffic that their websites crashed. AOL said it was a "seminal moment in Internet history" and that "We've never seen anything like it in terms or scope or depth".

The sales of Michael Jackson's records increased eighty-fold after his death. Amazon sold out of all of Michael Jackson's CDs and the Jackson 5's CDs within minutes of the news of his death breaking. This demand surpassed the demand when Elvis Presley and John Lennon died.

Thriller climbed to the number one spot on the American iTunes chart while another 19 albums reentered the Top 40. Michael Jackson had 34 singles in the top 100 singles chart, 4 of them in the top 10.

By August 3 2009, he had sold 2 million records and spent six consecutive weeks atop the album chart. His solo albums sold 800,000 copies in the first full week after his death, and 1.1 million copies in the following week of his memorial service. His memorial service held in the Staples Centre was shown around the world and was said to have been watched by over 1 billion people.

So even though people may argue over whether Michael Jackson should be honored and remembered as the king of pop in his death, the millions of fans and records sold cannot be disputed. Though he may have left a questionable legacy from a personal and a financial viewpoint, his musical talents and marketing genius is undisputed.

Perhaps the greatest tribute that he had ever had was from Michael Jackson's 11 year old daughter Paris who broke down as she told the crowd at his memorial: "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine ..." Fittingly, Marlon Jackson said at the memorial, "Maybe now, Michael, they will leave you alone."

Michael Jackson, rightfully the King of Pop, may you rest in peace.