News Service from House Harris

Fed: Jackson set to posthumously top Aussie charts

SYDNEY, June 28 AAP - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough is ringing true for Michael Jackson's Australian fans keen to snap up pieces of musical history following the King of Pop's sudden death.

Jackson could posthumously top the charts, with most local music retailers selling out of Jackson's albums and DVDs hours after his death was announced in Australia on Friday.

Music insiders have compared the sales boost to the same rush generated by the deaths of John Lennon and Elvis Presley.

Nat Moss from JB Hi-Fi's Bondi store in Sydney said customers were now on a waiting list to buy Jackson's music.

"We've been sold out since before lunchtime on the first day," she said.

"All sorts of people are buying them, but a lot of middle-aged women.

"We're completely out of all his concert DVDs and all the Jackson 5."

However, Jackson's expected rise to the top of the Aussie charts won't be known until July 6, when the official ARIA charts for sales during the week of his death are released.

There's also furious bidding on internet auction site eBay, which had more than 4,200 memorabilia items registered on Sunday afternoon in Australia alone.

Vinyl albums, CD box sets, tour programs and concert DVDs are among the most popular items sought after.

An autographed guitar has a $25,000 asking price.

In America, 45,000 Michael Jackson-related items were on sale at the online auction house on Saturday - nearly 17,500 were music recordings and nearly 17,000 were memorabilia.

Earlier this year, Jackson announced a come-back world concert tour, with plans for a stop-off in Australia.

The chief executive of AEG Live, the US-based promotion company behind Jackson's world tour, says Australia was a key part of the King of Pop's ambitious global concert plan.

Randy Phillips told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that Jackson was to have toured Australia after he completed his 50 concerts in London at the 23,000-seat 02 Arena.

The 50-year-old Jackson stopped breathing at his Los Angeles mansion on Thursday (Friday AEST) and a doctor and paramedics failed to revive him.

Autopsy results are expected to be released within four to six weeks.