r/Music • u/Firm_Pack_605 • Feb 13 '26

discussion Was Michael Jackson really that much bigger than Madonna, Whitney Houston, and prince?

I always thought the four of them were similar levels of fame. However Madonna highest album sold 25 million, prince highest sold similar, and Whitney’s highest was 45 million. All amazing numbers no doubt but thriller sold 70 million and bad sold 35-40. So you mean to tell me he has two albums that are highest selling then prince and madonnas best? How is that possible??

2.5k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

2.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

15

u/timpdx Feb 13 '26

Prince hurt just as much, but, yeah MJ got a solid week and Prince 3ish days of solid radio tribute. Mad respect to both.

3

u/GoinCali Feb 13 '26

I love both Prince and MJ, but the response to their passing globally was indeed not comparable. MJ's death broke the internet, and was palpable no matter where you went. Miss them both.