On the HIStory tour he was the first artist (and as far I know, the only) to sell out stadiums in the Arab world and Africa.
If you want to deny that he was one of the most famous people on the planet, that's your prerogative, but you're the one who's deluded.
So he fills a stadium a stadium with a few tens of thousands of people in a country perhaps of many tens (or even hundreds) of millions. Many of the audience will be Westernised people, the wealthier ones and perhaps quite a number of foreign tourists.
It's analogous to someone in India writing that a famous Bollywood star filled a stadium in London or New York so must be well known to everyone in the UK and USA when few will have heard of them outside their own community.
I am not even convinced that Madonna is that well known to younger generations, they might only know her as that older person who sang with one of the current famous pop singers.
paul macartney is another of the big names for similar reasons, hugely famous for a long time and will be known long after his death due to the legacy of music he's left behind, which will likely be played for a long time after his death, like mozart or beethoven
I suspect that to younger people they will just remember that strange looking old man who sang badly at some event like London 2012 Olympics.
On the HIStory tour he was the first artist (and as far I know, the only) to sell out stadiums in the Arab world and Africa.
If you want to deny that he was one of the most famous people on the planet, that's your prerogative, but you're the one who's deluded.
Michael Jackson did one night in Tunisia and five nights in South Africa on his HIStory tour. A quick Google search shows that Rihanna sold out stadiums in South Africa on her Diamonds tour... so big whoop.
He was a famous pop star who used propaganda to hype his achievements and status. Look at the greatest hits CD booklets of big-selling pop stars (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists) and try to find anything close to the deluded self-importance of the HIStory booklet. It makes Donald Trump seem modest.
I have no idea who he is and cannot anyone in the rest of the world knowing.
On that topic, there are celebrities who are hugely popular outside the Western world
but almost unknown here. The Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, the Nigerian musician
Fela Kuti and the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum all had enormous audiences in their
native lands. But I suspect only people who are into World Music would have heard of them in the West (aside from Kuti, who does seem to have a significant number of Western fans).
Adolf Hitler and William Shakespeare are surely the most famous.
Everyone's heard of them.
Good shout.
Madonna comes to my mind, she's recent enough that young people know her but older people do too. Michael Jackson also. I think they're more likely to be recognisable even if you're not interested in them. In terms of sports figures, if you aren't into sport (as I'm not) you won't know them. I know who Usain Bolt is but I couldn't pick him out of a line up.
On that topic, there are celebrities who are hugely popular outside the Western world
but almost unknown here. The Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, the Nigerian musician
Fela Kuti and the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum all had enormous audiences in their
native lands. But I suspect only people who are into World Music would have heard of them in the West (aside from Kuti, who does seem to have a significant number of Western fans).
That is the point I have made several times, most of the posts are looking at the original question from a purely western point of view. There are very few (if any) who would be immediately recognised by someone in a remote part of Africa, Asia or South America but there are huge numbers of people in some of these areas, particularly China and India.
Marilyn Monroe must be near the top of the list, I have been a fan since 1954 when I was 17, and saw her in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She died 54 years ago, but even young people today know of her, and that really does define Immortality. Marilyn once said in an interview, "Fame is fleeting, and so long fame!"
I'd say it's quite likely that Adolf Hitler is the most recognisable person of the 20th century and the last 100 years globally, he was responsible for the bloodiest conflict in human history and his name is used to represent the epitome of evil over 70 years after his death. People young and old across the world know who he is.
The most famous man alive? Usain Bolt is a strong contender because of the reasons mentioned above in other posts, the Olympics attracts a truly global audience and he's (or was) the biggest "star" of the event.
As for women I'd say the Queen could be, she's the head of the Commonwealth and rightly or wrongly many people see her as a symbol of Britain. Madonna is very likely to be the second most famous woman in the world and probably the most famous "celebrity" and certainly the most famous pop star.
Things like this are impossible to measure and we'll never truly know.
Comments
So he fills a stadium a stadium with a few tens of thousands of people in a country perhaps of many tens (or even hundreds) of millions. Many of the audience will be Westernised people, the wealthier ones and perhaps quite a number of foreign tourists.
It's analogous to someone in India writing that a famous Bollywood star filled a stadium in London or New York so must be well known to everyone in the UK and USA when few will have heard of them outside their own community.
I am not even convinced that Madonna is that well known to younger generations, they might only know her as that older person who sang with one of the current famous pop singers.
I suspect that to younger people they will just remember that strange looking old man who sang badly at some event like London 2012 Olympics.
I had to Google who he was!
So I think it probably is Madonna who is the most famous afterall.
Marilyn Monroe has been dead 54 years, and will be remembered longer than the Swift creature, whoever she is.
God I feel old!
If you have no idea who Taylor Swift is then why would you describe her as a 'creature'?
Sounds quite disparaging.
Everyone's heard of them.
Michael Jackson did one night in Tunisia and five nights in South Africa on his HIStory tour. A quick Google search shows that Rihanna sold out stadiums in South Africa on her Diamonds tour... so big whoop.
He was a famous pop star who used propaganda to hype his achievements and status. Look at the greatest hits CD booklets of big-selling pop stars (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists) and try to find anything close to the deluded self-importance of the HIStory booklet. It makes Donald Trump seem modest.
Anyway he's dead so he doesn't count.
Again purely from a Western point of view.
Shakespeare does have global fame but only amongst the more educated in distant countries. probably unknown to the general population.
Somebody who is in the public eye.
Global?
I have no idea who he is and cannot anyone in the rest of the world knowing.
There's a massive following in Japan and they chant his name whilst wearing a mask and eating fake fish and chips
On that criteria - Usain Bolt.
Population of China will likely have seen him perform whereas politicians like Obama will have limited coverage.
On that topic, there are celebrities who are hugely popular outside the Western world
but almost unknown here. The Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar, the Nigerian musician
Fela Kuti and the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum all had enormous audiences in their
native lands. But I suspect only people who are into World Music would have heard of them in the West (aside from Kuti, who does seem to have a significant number of Western fans).
Good shout.
Madonna comes to my mind, she's recent enough that young people know her but older people do too. Michael Jackson also. I think they're more likely to be recognisable even if you're not interested in them. In terms of sports figures, if you aren't into sport (as I'm not) you won't know them. I know who Usain Bolt is but I couldn't pick him out of a line up.
That is the point I have made several times, most of the posts are looking at the original question from a purely western point of view. There are very few (if any) who would be immediately recognised by someone in a remote part of Africa, Asia or South America but there are huge numbers of people in some of these areas, particularly China and India.
Well, that certainly didn't apply to her.
The most famous man alive? Usain Bolt is a strong contender because of the reasons mentioned above in other posts, the Olympics attracts a truly global audience and he's (or was) the biggest "star" of the event.
As for women I'd say the Queen could be, she's the head of the Commonwealth and rightly or wrongly many people see her as a symbol of Britain. Madonna is very likely to be the second most famous woman in the world and probably the most famous "celebrity" and certainly the most famous pop star.
Things like this are impossible to measure and we'll never truly know.