When Michael Jackson passed away six years ago, he left behind a booming legacy that is still reaping the profits.
Last year, Michael Jackson took the No. 1 spot on Forbes' list of the Top-Earning Dead Celebrities—topping Elvis Presley, Bob Marley and Marilyn Monroe—by bringing in a reported $140 million. That was part of the $700 million that the King of Pop has made in the first five years since his death, according to Zack Greenburg, author of "Michael Jackson, Inc.," a book about the music legend's business empire.
It's not entirely clear whether Jackson's 2010 deal with Sony Corp.—in which Jackson's estate was guaranteed at least $200 million with 10 albums to be released over the course of seven years, including unreleased songs, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal—was included in the $700 million.
And the deal seems to have benefited the Jackson estate substantially. Since his passing, Jackson has sold over 13.2 million albums, compared to the 13.1 million he sold from 1996-2008, per Nielsen as reported by The Wrap.
Jackson also has a huge social media following. With more than 75 million likes on Facebook, Jackson comes in as the seventh most-followed person on the social network. His verified Twitter account, @michaeljackson, was started the month following his death and has since accumulated 1.84 million followers.
On the sixth anniversary of his death, fans took to Twitter—using the hashtag #6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson—in remembrance of the late singer.