Official Charts expecting sales surge following the tragic death of Wh

The Official Charts Company is already expecting a sales surge to impact on the Official Charts following the tragic death of Whitney Houston last night (Saturday, February 11).

The Official Charts Company expects a slew of the tragic singer's songs to take places in the Official Singles Chart and Official Albums Chart over the next week, as fans pay tribute by enjoying her music in the wake of her untimely death.

Although first verified sales reports will not be made until Tuesday morning (incorporating sales from Sunday and Monday), the Official Charts understands that sales are already surging.

Such an impact would echo that of Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse's music in June 2009 and July and August of 2011. In both cases, fans paid tribute by buying the artists' respective singles and albums. In summer 2009, six Michael Jackson albums hit the Official Albums Chart Top 40, including a greatest hits at Number 1, while five singles hit the Official Singles Chart Top 40, a week after the singer's untimely death. Two years later, Amy Winehouse's albums took three places in the Official Singles Chart Top 10, along with five singles in the Official Singles Chart Top 40, a week after her tragic passing.

Houston is a true legend of the UK's Official Charts. After her first UK hit, Saving All My Love For You, became Official Number 1 in 1985, she racked up four Official Number 1 singles and 13 more Top 10 singles, along with two Official Number 1 albums and 5 more Top 10 albums.

Her biggest hit was I Will Always Love You, which was taken from the film The Bodyguard and became the biggest selling single of 1992 and the 10th biggest single of 1993 (according to Official Charts data) while holding the Official Number 1 spot for 10 weeks. A cover of Dolly Parton's original song, it became the singer's signature song. The song is due to mark its 20th anniversary later this year.

View Whitney’s chart history in the UK’s Official Charts here.

Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You on MUZU.