Even from the grave, Michael Jackson can still sell out. An amazing 1.6 million fans registered in an online lottery for tickets to attend today's morning memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Of those entrants, a lucky 8,750 were chosen to receive a pair of tickets each.  Despite the best efforts of authorities to curb scalping, tickets have reportedly sold on Craigslist for $9,000 a piece.

While many contend death boosted the King of Pop's allegedly flagging career, the numbers tell a different story.  This March over two million people from 200 countries attempted to buy pre-sale tickets to Michael Jackson's final series of concerts--all set for this summer in London--in the span of 18 hours.  To meet demand, the concert promoters had to expand the shows from ten to fifty.

Michael Jackson getting booed off the stage at his last concert appearance at the 2006 World Music Awards makes these sales figures all the more remarkable.  Could it be that child molestation allegations actually helped the King of Pop's career by keeping him in the public eye years after his hits ran dry? 

Let us compare Michael Jackson's career with that of his closest contemporary Prince to prove the point.  Whose music is more relevant today? Turn the dial to an '80s station and you will quickly discover you can time the muffins to Prince songs. Try that with the songs of MJ and those same muffins will be burnt to a crisp. As you will see, Prince topped the King of Pop in practically every aspect of music:

Songwriting

Yes, Michael Jackson was a member of the songwriter's Hall of Fame but I could be too if I had Quincy Jones and a team of session musicians to turn my beatboxing into music. Prince on the other hand proved so prolific that he not only wrote and produced an album a year but also wrote and produced albums for his side projects like Appolonia as well. Remember "Manic Monday" by the Bangles? Prince wrote that one too.

Lyrics

Has one man given us more nonsense lyrics than Michael Jackson--the Dr. Seuss of pop music?  While other lyricists sought the aid of a rhyming dictionary, MJ simply made up new words when stumped, from the cries of "Shamone" that pepper Bad to the "mama se, mama so" bridge of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'.  Prince wins by default.

Vocals

Michael Jackson's singing was tarred by too many vocal hiccups and other affected mannerisms. Prince meanwhile excelled at everything from straight-up rockers like Let's Go Crazy to falsetto pieces like Kiss.

Musicianship 

Michael played no instruments while Prince can play practically any instrument he puts his fingers upon. About the only edge Michael had over Prince was dancing thanks to the fabled Moonwalk.

What happened when these two icons of the '80s went mano a mano?  Michael Jackson won in a walk. His 50 sold-out concerts at the O2 arena in London shattered Prince's previous record of 21 sold-out shows at the same arena.

Why was Michael Jackson so much more popular while Prince was so much better? Even Michael noted this discrepancy, going so far as to name one of his sons Prince. This is just another case of bad publicity being better than no publicity at all. While millions tuned in to hear Michael Jackson extol the virtues of sleeping with little boys to Martin Bashir, Prince quietly kept churning out the music instead of the controversy.

After a while, fans become inured and take great music for granted. But controversy? That is something for which we have an insatiable appetite and that MJ provided us with in droves. Michael put his life on display for all the world to see and we each found a little part of it we could relate to.

For some it was the abusive father, for others the plastic surgery--after all, who among us would not like to change an aspect of our appearance from time to time?  For me personally, it was the lost childhood. While Michael's father drove him to become the world's greatest entertainer, my own drove me to become the world's smartest boy. While other kids played dodge ball and kick the can, I had to crack the books. It paid off for a while. I won geography bees, spelling bees, TV quiz shows and became a local celebrity but I lacked that which I wanted most: friends. 

So I could relate to Michael's Peter Pan complex. I eventually learned childhood is like virginity: once it's gone, you can never get it back again. But sadly this is a lesson Michael never had to learn, thanks to his fame and accommodating handlers.

RIP King of Pop. May you find the childhood in the afterlife you could never quite recreate here on Earth.