There are plenty of popular songs that have stood the test of time. Here are four hits that have posthumously entered the charts after the deaths of their singers.
“Purple Rain” by Prince
In May of 2016, this song hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, just two positions shy of its 1984 peak. As Prince once explained, “Purple Rain” is meant to be a metaphor for the end of the world and clinging to what matters most in difficult times.
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“When there’s blood in the sky… red and blue = purple,” he once shared. “Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/God guide you through the purple rain.”
“Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson
“Billie Jean” was just one of many songs that reentered the charts after Jackson died in 2009. More recently, though, in May 2026, the song reached No. 1 on the Global 200 chart, making Jackson the first artist to reach No. 1 on this chart, having died before its creation.
“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie
After David Bowie passed away in 2016, this Queen collaboration became his highest-charting song to re-enter the charts, peaking at No. 45 on the Billboard charts.
As Queen musician Brian May once shared, “Under Pressure” wasn’t the easiest collaboration, but Bowie’s lyrics were what made the song “significant.”
“It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us,” he shared in an interview. “David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it’s a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that. It’s a significant song because of David and its lyrical content.”
“I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
In 2012, following Houston’s death, a series of songs from her Whitney: The Greatest Hits album reentered the music charts. This song reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, while other songs like “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” followed closely behind at No. 35.
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NEW YORK, NY – CIRCA 1984: Michael Jackson performing circa 1984 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Platzer/Images/Getty Images) -
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Soul Singer Sam Cooke at the RCA Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California circa 1959. (Photo by Jess Rand/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
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Musician Bob Seger performs at the Alpine Valley Music Theater, East Troy, Wisconsin, July 13, 1977. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images) -
From left, Paul McCartney (playing a Hofner 500/1 violin bass guitar) and John Lennon (playing a Gibson J-160E acoustic guitar) of English rock and pop group The Beatles perform on stage for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) music television show 'Shindig!' at Granville Studios in Fulham, London on 3rd October 1964. The band would play three songs on the show, Kansas City/hey-Hey-Hey!, I'm a Loser and Boys. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
Don Henley on 7/3/85 in Chicago, Il. (Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage)
