Despite Michael Jackson’s well-earned reputation for eccentricity and free-spending ways, he made several savvy business moves that kept him financially afloat far longer than his lavish and bizarre lifestyle might otherwise have allowed.

Jackson was starting to get his finances back in order, but it is unclear what will happen to his tangled finances as his estate is unwound. At the time of his sudden death Thursday, he was attempting to dig himself out of about $500 million in debt. Now, a fresh business drama could play out over his estate.

For some business associates, the pop star’s passing was a particular blow. AEG Live billed “This Is It,” the sold-out concert series that was to have opened July 13 in London, as the most expensive and technologically advanced arena show ever. The L.A. concert promoter staked its reputation on and sunk tens of millions of dollars into a lavish comeback that will never happen.

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Jackson may be ‘worth more dead than alive’

(Associated Press).

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Jackson’s death is a blow to concert promoter AEG

(Los Angeles Times).

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Savvy Deals Aided Lavish Lifestyle

(Wall Street Journal).

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Jackson Death Boosts Music Vendor Sales

(Business Week).