Career: Between 1964 and 1967, the Supremes had 10 number one singles in the States, making them the most successful black group of the decade. It was at this time Florence Ballard was fired and replaced with Cindy Birdsong, and the trio was renamed Diana Ross & the Supremes, recognising Ross's role as lead singer. More success followed, but she left in 1970 to pursue a solo career. She played Billie Holiday in biopic Lady Sings the Blues, to critical acclaim, and also starred in Mahogany, and The Wiz. After the latter's relative failure, Ross concentrated solely on music, and released several albums in the 1980s and 1990s, with differing success. In 1999 she received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Darkness. She hasn't released an original album since 2006, but she continues to tour around the world.

Career: By the early 1980s, Michael was an established solo performer with a string of hit singles, and acclaimed album, Off the Wall. In 1983 he released Thriller, which became the biggest-selling album of all time. Despite continued success with such releases as Bad and Dangerous, the strain of celebrity status began to show in the 1990s, as tabloids began featuring unflattering stories about him. His physical appearance also changed dramatically, and his career was less successful in the latter years of his life. In March 2009, Michael announced a series of comeback concerts titled This Is It at the 02 arena in London. A 50-date residency in London was due to start in July, 2009, but less than three weeks before the first show was due to begin, Jackson died on June 25th after suffering cardiac arrest. After his death, Michael became the best-selling artist of 2009 following a surge in album sales. Thirty-five million albums were sold worldwide in the 12 months following his death. Michael, the first of 10 proposed new albums with previously unreleased material, went on sale in November 2010. Despite mixed reviews, the album has sold well around the world.