Music fans young and old have been brought together in grief by the news of the tragic death of one of the most iconic figures in music history. With a career that spans nearly 40 years, all of our record collections include tracks by, or at the very least inspired by the unrivalled King of Pop – Michael Jackson.

Signed to Berry Gordy’s Motown Records aged only 11 years old & the fronting face of The Jackson 5 – their first hit I’ll Be There was released in 1969 and since then he has been one of the most instantly recognisable sounds in the industry.

His solo career launched a fresh & different sound to his music & his 1979 record Off the Wall is arguably his greatest album, with legendary tracks like ‘Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough’ the inspiration behind the careers of this generation’s pop greats like Usher & Justin Timberlake.

Michael Jackson was a master of transformation - reinventing himself yet again for the 1982 album Thriller, this time with a bigger, edgier sound & collaborating with rock legend Eddie Van Halen on Beat It. Almost every single track on the album was a huge hit & the record sold millions, more than any before it and more than 25 years later no album has sold more since.

Albums such as Bad & Dangerous followed, but unfortunately as time went on, his personal battles grappled the limelight from his musical talent.

Not only reknowned worldwide for his music – Michael Jackson was a pioneering figure in the use of music video. His 14 minute long mini-movie for Thriller has been named the greatest music video ever made & also the most expensive production of its time, costing half a million US dollars to make.

Michael’s highly-anticipated comeback tour sold out after only minutes of being on sale earlier this year & the sense of loss felt by many fans will be further tinged by the fact that they were only days away from seeing their hero perform live, for many of them for the first time in their lives.

Although Michael Jackson’s life & career has been cut tragically short - his legendary sound has inspired many of today’s performers, like R Kelly, Estelle, P Diddy, Madonna, Fall out Boy & The Black Eyed Peas. In the words of The Bee-Gees’ Robin Gibb: “He had a great voice and millions of people yet to be born will sing his songs…One consolation is that he will triumph by his legacy.”

The thoughts of everybody at Atacama Audio are with Michael Jackson’s family.