Michael Jackson Lawsuit UPDATE: Accountant Predicts Singer Would Have Made $1.1 Billion If He Hadn't Died

How much would Michael Jackson have been worth to his family if he hadn't died in 2009? A public accountant testifying at the Jackson family's lawsuit against concert promoter AEG Live stated that he believed that Michael could have netted at least $1.1 billion if he had survived only a few more years. 

Arthur Erk, the accountant, said that he used "conservative estimates" when planning how much money Michael would have made from his ten-show "This Is It" concert series that was planned for 2009 in London. However, those ten shows wouldn't generate the $1.1 billion by themselves. Erk's calculations assume that Jackson would have followed up the ten-show stint with a world tour traveling across the globe. It's a safe assumption that most artists would probably undergo such an endeavor, but based on commentary about Jackson's health leading up to his death, it seems less likely that Jackson would have been willing. 

Another assumption made in the calculation was the money Michael could have earned by launching a Las Vegas performance based around his own music. There are now two Cirque de Soleil shows based on Jackson's music, but both were launched after the singer's death. The Jackson estate does make royalties off of the show's usage of the music. 

Although $1.1 billion is quite a lot of money for one performer to make in a mere few years, the sum doesn't quite live up to the $40 billion in damages that Katherine Jackson, Michael's mother, is seeking from AEG. 

Katherine and Michael's children allege that AEG put unhealthy amounts of pressure on the star to perform despite knowing of his health troubles. They also claim the company hired Conrad Murray, the doctor who was convicted of manslaughter after delivering fatal dose of propofol to the vocalist.