Michael Jackson leaves $1 billion in assets, $500 million in unpaid debts

Michael Jackson died with his books out of balance. The concerts he planned in London might have generated enough cash to pay off his debts, but a rumored Demerol injection stopped his heart before he could perform there. So he leaves this earth with as much as $500 million in unpaid debts.

Before focusing on the liability side of Michael Jackson's business, let's look at the his assets, which provided the collateral for that borrowing. He sold 61 million albums in the U.S. and had a decade-long attraction open at Walt Disney (DIS) theme parks.