Michael Jackson Fans Angry As Rolling Stone Calls Harry Styles 'New King Of Pop'

Harry Styles has been named "the new King of Pop" by Rolling Stone UK, a move that received the ire of loyal supporters of the late Michael Jackson, who was famously known as the "King of Pop."

The publication released its October/November edition Monday showing the "Story of My Life" singer wearing a pair of pastel boxer shorts on its cover with the text, "Harry Styles. How the new King of Pop set the music world aflame."

While there is no doubt that Styles has made huge contributions to music, many believe that Rolling Stone went too far in appropriating a title that should only be reserved to the great "Thriller" singer.

"There is no new King of Pop. You don't own the title @RollingStone, and you didn't earn it, my uncle did. Decades of dedication and sacrifice," Taj Jackson, Michael's nephew called out the magazine in a tweet Monday.

"The title has been retired. No disrespect to @Harry_Styles, he's mega talented. Give him his own unique title," he added.

The Recording Academy which organizes the annual Grammy Awards listed 10 reasons why Michael holds the title as the King of Pop. He was the first artist to win 8 Grammys in one night at the 26^th annual Grammy Awards in 1984. Prior to his solo career, Michael also made a notable achievement with his brothers in the Jackson 5 when they became the first group to have their first four singles hit No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100.

Michael was also the first celebrity to be granted two stars in the same category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame both as part of the Jackson 5 and as a soloist. He also sold over 75 million albums in the U.S. and ranks No. 7 on the list of Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) of top-selling artists of all time.

Meanwhile, Styles' latest single "As It Was" claimed the top spot of Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks in a row and his latest album "Harry's House" was also a massive hit and sold half a million equivalent units in its first week of release in May.

Still, some people are not convinced that Styles is "the new King of Pop."

"Michael Jackson is the King of Pop. He broke racial barriers, revolutionized and set the standard for music industry through his groundbreaking creativity and pioneering. A true Legend!" Michael's fan tweeted.

"Michael Jackson is the ONLY King of Pop. It's a universal fact and everyone needs to accept that," another commented.

In the magazine, Styles revealed why he insists on keeping his private life away from the scrutinizing public eye.