Scarred Till Death: Michael Jackson’s 1984 Pepsi Ad Accident
The incident happened 25 years ago in Los Angeles, California’s Shrine Auditorium: the premature ignition of stage fireworks that set Michael Jackson’s hair with the fire burning through to his scalp.
The mishap caused 2nd and 3rd degree burns that made the King of Pop addicted to pain killers which could have contributed to his death last June 25.
The photo montage above is from actual video of that horrific accident during the filiming of the Pepsi commercial.
The video surfaced just hours ago on the on=line edition of the celebrity/gossip magazine US Weekly and is now running on YouTube.
The accident happened while Jackson and his brothers were filming a commercial for Pepsi at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 27, 1984.
The footage shows pyrotechnics exploding around Jackson as he prepares to walk down a set of stairs onto the stage.
Flames, that apparently ignite the hair products he was wearing, quickly envelope his head as he continues dancing for a few seconds before he realizes his head is on fire.
MJ himself spoke about his ordeal in 2003:
As you may already know, after my tour ended I remained outside the country undergoing treatment for a dependency on pain medication.
This medication was initially prescribed for the excruciating pain that I was suffering after recent reconstructive surgery on my scalp.
The video is excruciating to watch.
One can only imagine the pain the Michael Jackson had to endure from the accident.
That Michael Jackson went on to nurture his career churning out yet more hits and bringing joy to his fans is a stamp of greatness.
