NEW YORK: Michael Jackson has broken another music record even after his death, with “Thriller” certified Wednesday as the first album to sell more than 30 million copies in the United States.

The Recording Industry Association of America announced that the 1982 work was its first “30 times platinum” album, with platinum defined as selling one million copies — meaning roughly one out of every 10 Americans has a copy.

“What an exceptional achievement and testament to ‘Thriller“s enduring spot in our hearts and musical history,” the industry group’s chairman, Cary Sherman, said in a statement.

“Thriller” was considered a musical and marketing breakthrough, with the new “King of Pop” seizing on the possibilities of then nascent MTV to promote his music through videos and glitzy concerts.

“Thriller” produced a string of mega-hits including “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” and landed Jackson a record 12 nominations at the Grammy Awards, where he won eight.

The achievement was all the more extraordinary as the music industry was then more racially polarized, with Jackson the first African American artist to enjoy significant airtime on MTV.

“It is crystal clear that Michael Jackson is simply the greatest, and biggest, artist of all time,” L.A. Reid, chairman of his label Epic Records, said as he saluted the new feat.

“Thriller” scored renewed sales with the release of a reissued 25th anniversary edition in 2008 and Jackson’s death a year later.