Dozens of previously unknown Michael Jackson songs, including a warning about climate change, which he was composing two days before he died, are expected to restore his children's fortunes in the months and years ahead.
Experts say his music could generate more money during the next 12 months than in the past decade.
The pop icon's family will release a series of posthumous albums, starting this Christmas, which could not only wipe out debts estimated at $500m (£300m) but also ensure that Michael Jr, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, 7, are financially secure for the rest of their lives.
Jackson's friend Deepak Chopra, the New Age guru, revealed that the singer had telephoned him excitedly last week, claiming that he was writing some of his best songs since "Billie Jean."
He wanted Chopra, who produced his own poetry album with Madonna and served on the board of Jackson's Heal the World Foundation, to write the words to a “green hymn”.
Chopra played a fragment of the melody recently on ABC's "Good Morning America," revealing a slow brooding organ sound. The lyrics included the words “trees are our lungs, the air is our breath, the river our circulation”.
Jackson also left songs that remained unfinished during work on his last album, "Invincible," released in 2001, which could be completed by other artistes. The estates of Tupac Shakur, the rapper murdered in 1996, and Frank Sinatra, who died in 1998, have benefited enormously from posthumous remixes.
Proving the adage that death is the ultimate career enhancer, Jackson songs topped internet download charts in 13 countries this weekend. In America he set a record by taking up 16 of the top 20 places on the iTunes charts. At No 1 was "Thriller," adding to its tally as the biggest-selling record.
In Britain his sales have increased by 8,000 percent since last Thursday, with "Man in the Mirror" expected to top the download chart, closely followed by "Billie Jean" and "Thriller." HMV, the record chain, said it expected the surge to continue for months.
Jackson sold 750 million albums before his death and analysts said that another 50 million could follow by the end of the year.
Business associates confirmed that at the time of his death the Jacksons had already been talking to CKX, a company that has helped to transform Elvis Presley's Memphis home, Graceland, into the second most visited residence in the United States.
The company's ideas include a travelling exhibition of Jackson memorabilia, the licensing of theme park rides and an updated version of the musical "Thriller Live," first staged in London in 2006.
Source: thedailylstar.net
