As soon as the news broke on Thursday about Michael Jackson’s death, the singer’s fans started pouring into local shops to buy his music.

"We’re completely sold out of all his merchandise," Shane Cauloer, assistant manager for Music for a Song in Dawsonville, said Friday afternoon. "I just sold our last copy of his greatest hits album."

The store is playing his top hits on the overhead sound system, and customers talked about him all day Friday. One customer visited the store Friday morning and purchased almost all the Michael Jackson merchandise the store had, including DVDs.

"The majority of responses that I’ve heard is that people are shocked it happened so quickly," he said. "I talked to one guy about it for awhile, and he thought about Michael Jackson doing the reunion tour and died in debt. People who were older than him can’t believe he’s already gone."

Although Krazy Al’s Music in Commerce doesn’t sell merchandise, manager David Peek said store workers and local musicians have been discussing Jackson’s death.

"It’s mostly the shock of it. Regardless of your opinion about his personal situation, he’s probably the biggest artist who ever lived," he said. "You can name any other artist and you’re not going to hear it in every corner of the world. His album sales and record-breaking ticket sales tell a tale."

Some Gainesville residents disagree.

"I’d put him up there at the top, but he’s under James Brown for me," said Mikail Saboor, who talked about the news Friday with friends at Peppers Market on E.E. Butler Parkway. "He was a great peacemaker and had some amazing music, I remember, from when he was in the Jackson 5."

An unidentified person from Jackson’s home called 911 on Thursday night and said he wasn’t breathing or responding to efforts to revive him. He was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center, and an autopsy was conducted Friday.

"One of my friends cried, but it doesn’t really affect me," said Tamara Townsend, a clerk at Kangaroo Express on Jesse Jewell Parkway. "Several people came in the store talking about it last night."

Kato, a rapper from Flowery Branch, said he was at work when his co-worker received a message about Jackson’s death.

"I couldn’t believe it; it’s still pretty shocking," said Kato, whose given name is Chris Ju. "Musically, he’s one of the best, if not the greatest. I listened to his music in the early days, even when I wasn’t into hip-hop yet. I think that inspired me to get into music in the first place."

Jackson’s career could set an example for other musicians, he said.

"No one else on earth is like him," he said. "He has a unique style and sound and really made it his own. That could inspire upcoming artists to create their own sound."