Twitter Commemorates #6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson

Six years ago today, pop superstar Michael Jackson passed away in his Los Angeles home. The King of Pop’s death prompted widespread mourning and tributes from artists, politicians, and other public figures. Today, Twitter is buzzing with posts in memoriam of the late pop culture icon.

His legacy will live on forever! Long live the king! ????#6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson pic.twitter.com/p3IRkJM7TW

— . (@awhisperoflovex) June 25, 2015

Table of Contents

When Michael Jackson Broke the Internet

In 2009, news of Jackson’s passing caused a huge spike in web traffic. The LA Times, TMZ, and CBS News websites crashed under the weight of the increased traffic. An estimated 5,000 tweets per minute paid tribute to Jackson. Twitter founder Biz Stone called it “the biggest jump in tweets per second since the U.S. presidential election.”

So many people searched for ‘Michael Jackson’, Google initially believed they were experiencing a DDos attack. All searches related to Michael Jackson were blocked for a full thirty minutes before they corrected the error.

Gone too soon #6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson RIP pic.twitter.com/ZHLfr4OPZ8

— Peter (@optimum_77) June 25, 2015

Easy as One, Two, Three

Jackson began his music career as a member of the Jackson 5, along with his brothers Tito, Jackie, Marlon, and Jermaine. At 19 years old, Jackson was given a starring roll in ‘The Wiz’, now considered a cult classic. While working on the film, he met producer Quincy Jones, who agreed to produce Jackson’s first solo album, ‘Off The Wall’.

https://twitter.com/chelin_ok/status/614083396143304704

The King of Pop

‘Off The Wall’ launched Jackson’s career. A string of highly successful albums and singles would follow. His worldwide success earned him the moniker ‘King of Pop’, and he embraced the role fully.

The King of pop, RIP. ❤️ #MJ #6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson???? pic.twitter.com/D0VjGGrTGM

— sarah (@_sarahpreston) June 25, 2015

The King is Dead

The circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death are controversial. Jackson’s personal physician, Conrad Murray, was accused of fatal malpractice. Murray reportedly gave the singer doses of propofol, a surgical anesthetic, to help him sleep. Testimony revealed propofol and other drugs prescribed by Murray played a key role in Jackson’s death. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years imprisonment.

#6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson Rest in Peace #TheKingOfPop ⭐️✨???????? pic.twitter.com/HbLRUbRzsm

— SarahMx (@sarahmx954) June 25, 2015

Successful, Even in Death

Immediately following his death, sales of Jackson’s work saw a dramatic increase. Bill Carr, former Amazon.com Media Chief, said the website’s entire catalog of Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 CDs sold out within minutes of the news breaking.

Throughout his career, Jackson reliably proved to be a chart-topper. As evidenced by his post-mortem record sales, he was successful even in death. The tributes on Twitter today prove he also remains a popular cultural icon, close to the hearts of music fans everywhere. Share your Michael Jackson tribute with the hashtag #6YearsWithoutMichaelJackson

https://twitter.com/ximena5401/status/614089143870558208

https://twitter.com/TRbelieberboy/status/614071183789662208