LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- Michael Jackson had a level of hero worship on a par with Elvis Presley or the Beatles but he was the first black star to inspire such a massive following around the world . Michael Jackson , the ultimate showman , craved attention and was rarely disappointed . Total worldwide sales of more than 350 million records over his 40-year career give just a hint of the adoration there was for the `` King of Pop . '' The fact that his death came on the eve of a comeback tour in London will leave his devotees feeling even more bereft . While his career -- and wealth -- had waned greatly in recent years , there was still enough support for the concerts to sell out at a rate of nearly 40,000 an hour . Fans from as far afield as Japan , Germany and Dubai queued to buy their tickets . Steve Greenberg , founder and CEO of S-Curve Records , was a disc jockey in Tel Aviv , Israel , when `` Thriller '' first dropped and witnessed first-hand how Jackson became an international icon . His was a global appeal , Greenberg said , among fans and artists worldwide . `` He was as big in the Middle East and Southeast Asia as he was in America and Europe , '' Greenberg said . `` He had that universality that not many people had . The Beatles had it , Muhammad Ali had it , but not many other people have had it . '' Jackson was known for far more than his music though . Speaking after his death in Los Angeles was announced , U.S. civil rights campaigner Rev . Al Sharpton paid tribute to the work of a `` trailblazer '' in helping people around the world through his charities . How will you remember Michael Jackson ? Sharpton added that the song Jackson co-wrote with Lionel Richie , `` We Are the World , '' a 1985 charity single that raised an estimated $ 50 million for famine relief in Africa , ushered in Live Aid and the era of celebrity philanthropy . Jackson was the supreme showman who had an unrivalled knack of grabbing headlines . From his precocious abilities as the 11-year-old singer in the Jackson 5 to his legendary `` moon-walk '' dance , the star craved attention , and was rarely disappointed . Jackson `` as big as it gets '' » . But in the years after his colossal 1982 hit album `` Thriller '' and its 1987 follow-up `` Bad , '' much of the focus did not cast him in a good light . In 1996 the lead singer of Pulp , Jarvis Cocker , caused a furor at the Brit Awards in London when he invaded the stage during Jackson 's performance of `` Earth Song '' in protest `` at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing . '' Jackson failed to see the humor in Cocker 's mockery , responding that he was `` sickened , saddened , shocked , upset , cheated , angry '' by the protest . He also alleged that Cocker had attacked children on stage , something that the Pulp singer denied . But many in the music industry backed Cocker , who was arrested but later released without charge . The theme of children was one that continued to haunt Jackson . In 2002 he caused a public outcry by dangling his baby son Prince Michael II from a third-floor hotel balcony in Germany before the world 's press . He later said he regretted the incident . Watch video of the incident » . And in a 2003 interview with British journalist Martin Bashir that was supposed to repair his image around the world , the singer revived allegations of child abuse when he said of sharing a bed with a young boy : `` It 's a beautiful thing . It 's very right , it 's very loving . Because what 's wrong with sharing a love ? '' A warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of sexually molesting 12-year-old Gavin Arvizo . Jackson surrendered himself to police amid a media furor . In the 2005 trial conducted in the glare of the world 's media spotlight , Jackson was cleared of child molestation charges . Following the trial , Jackson 's finances took a hit and he was forced to sell his Neverland ranch in California . He later kept a low profile in the United States and spent time in Britain , where his friends included psychic spoonbender Uri Geller and Harrod 's owner Mohamed Al Fayed , and also in Bahrain . But in November last year , Jackson was sued by an Arab sheikh at the High Court in London for $ 7.7 million . They parted `` amicably '' after agreeing a settlement . Jackson had been invited with his children and entourage to Bahrain by the king 's son , Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa , who lavished money on Jackson and built a recording studio , which he believed would be used to record albums by Jackson using material the sheikh had helped to write . But Jackson insisted there was no valid agreement and that the sheikh 's case was based on `` mistake , misrepresentation and undue influence . '' He said sums of money paid out by the sheikh were `` gifts . '' As fans around the world mourn it is likely Michael Jackson will be remembered as a musical hero -- but also a man with human flaws .
Michael Jackson was adored by fans around the world . Total sales exceeding 700 million records over his 40-year career . U.S. civil rights campaigner Rev . Al Sharpton paid tribute to his charity work .