HMV said yesterday that sales of Michael Jackson’s music since last week have surpassed those of Elvis Presley and John Lennon after their sudden deaths.

Simon Fox, chief executive of HMV, said that sales of Jackson’s albums have multiplied by 80 since the singer’s death last Thursday. During his lifetime Jackson sold more than 750 million records.

The music retailer, which had stocked up on Jackson’s albums in anticipation of a series of concerts due to take place at the O2 arena in East London, sold out of CDs on Saturday and is awaiting new stock from Sony.

HMV said that the most popular album is the compilation Number Ones, followed by the 1983 album Thriller, described by many as the pop star’s masterpiece and the bestselling album of all time. Third is King of Pop, released to commemorate Jackson’s 50th birthday last August, followed by Off the Wall, his first solo album.

Man in the Mirror, the 1988 single in which the singer urges listeners to “take a look at themselves and make a change”, is the most downloaded single at hmv.com.

Jackson was due to perform 50 This Is It farewell concerts at the O2 arena, starting this month. AEG Live, the promoters, are understood to be facing a £300 million loss after being unable to insure about 30 of them.

Randy Phillips, the president of AEG, said in an interview with Sky News that he was hoping that the other members of the Jackson 5 could perform. The Jackson family have not commented on the proposal.

Mr Phillips also said that footage of Jackson’s rehearsals for the shows may be released.

Tickets for the concerts sold at a rate of 11 per second, with face prices of £50 to £75. Fans have been offered refunds or souvenir tickets.

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