According to Billboard, the late singer, who died Thursday at 57, scored the top two slots on this week’s Billboard 200 albums chart: The Very Best of Prince at No. 1 and Purple Rain at No. 2. Following at #2 is the Purple Rain soundtrack with 69,000 units/63,000 in sales. Born on June 7, 1958, Prince Rogers Nelson was one of the greatest artists of all time, releasing 39 studio albums and selling more than 100 million records worldwide. It moved 179,000 album units (up 10,872%), with 100,000 in traditional album sales (up 11,232%).
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Altogether, Prince has sold around three million albums and singles in the US since his death, according to Billboard.
The Very Best of Prince marks Prince’s fifth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and his first since 3121 spent one week at No. 1 in 2006.
Leading the charge is Prince’s “Purple Rain”, which returns at #17. Another of the singer’s albums, his triple album, The Hits/The B-Sides, also re-entered the charts at the No. 6 spot with 41,000 units sold, with 24,000 of that sum in pure album sales. Billboard notes that a lot of fans rushed to purchase his music that day and as a result, his overall catalog of albums sold a total of 256,000 copies.
On the singles chart, “Purple Rain” is now at number two, with “When Doves Cry” also at six.
Prince may have suddenly passed away last week, but the legendary singer’s music is very much still alive and well.
He becomes the first artist in over 10 years to do so.
When Doves Cry is in hot pursuit at No6, with Kiss at No11, Raspberry Beret at No15), 1999 at No17 and Little Red Corvette revving its engines at No26.
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Eight newly-released albums look set to hit the Top 40 but may not get a look-in for the Top 5 as they compete with the albums from across Prince’s career.
