

Worldwide, the compilation has sold an estimated 6 million copies. As of 2021, the album was certified 5× platinum in the United States for over 2.5 million copies sold. A re-titled release in the United Kingdom was planned on July 6, 2009, as The Hits, but was cancelled upon Jackson's death. On August 26, 2008, The Essential Michael Jackson 3.0 was released in the United States as a limited edition containing an additional disc of seven songs performed by Jackson. The two-disc compilation features thirty-eight hit songs by Michael Jackson, from his days at Motown Records with The Jackson 5 in the late 1960s and early 1970s to his 2001 hit " You Rock My World". It was released on July 19, 2005, by Sony Music's catalog division Legacy Recordings as part of The Essential series. The Essential Michael Jackson is a greatest hits compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson.
