More than nine million albums by – or featuring – Michael Jackson have been sold around the world since his death three weeks ago, a US media report has claimed.

The surge in demand for Jackson's music comes from fans looking to relive their idol and – in many cases – people who missed out on the star when he was alive.

Jackson, who died on June 25 of a suspected cardiac arrest, is continuing to dominate sales charts around the world.

In the US the singer currently holds the top-12 positions on the Billboard pop catalogue chart, with sales of his music jumping 37% last week alone.

The King of Pop has also yet to be usurped in the UK, where he has sold more than 1.5million albums and singles since his death.

A spike in sales is not uncommon in the wake of a musician's death, but few forecasters had predicted such a steep climb in Jackson's case.

The report in the Los Angeles Times said Jackson's record label, Sony, declined to comment on the total sales count, but did not dispute the figure of nine million.

(by Jason Gregory)