David Bowie tops US album chart for the first time

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David Bowie has reached number one in the American album charts for the first time with Blackstar, released two days before his death on 10 January.

It sold the equivalent of 181,000 albums knocking Adele's 25 off the top spot.

His highest-charting US album previously had been The Next Day, which peaked at number two in 2013.

Nineteen of his albums entered the UK album charts last week, after fans sought out his classic hits.

Blackstar is the first posthumous number one album in the US since Michael Jackson's This Is It soundtrack topped the chart in November 2009.

Nine other Bowie albums also made the Billboard 200 this week with the Best of Bowie reaching number four and The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars at number 21.

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His first hit on the US singles chart was in 1972 with Changes. The record did not initially find major success, only reaching number 66 that year. 

However the song returned to the chart in 1974, following Bowie's subsequent breakthrough on the American music scene with Space Oddity - his first top 40 hit which peaked at number 15.

His biggest selling single in the US was Let's Dance, which reached the top of chart in 1983. He also achieved seven top 10 albums.