Michael Jackson's Head On Fire: 1984 Pepsi Accident Video Found (WATCH)

**Scroll for Video**

Us has obtained video of the 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot with Michael Jackson that had a tragic pyrotechnic accident, resulting in Jackson's head catching on fire.

The burns and hair loss associated with the accident have been cited as the beginning of Jackson's painkiller addiction.

The video below shows two takes - in the first the explosion goes off as planned, after Jackson is out of the way. In the sixth the explosion goes off too early, while Jackson is standing right there.

Jackson's head is engulfed in flames, which he at first does not realize as he continues performing. Handlers then rush out to put out the flames.


WATCH:

Comments

[DeloresT]

Michael also suffered with a very challenging disease:Lupus. My sister died from this and it was quite painful to see. He also had "Vitiligo".....a skin disease that causes disfiguration. . For anyone, includidng a rock star, to suffer from these 2 diseases and also scarring from a fire is horrific. MJ was shy and probably embarrassed to talk about this and when he tried, he was NOT believed. Like his brother said, he is now free from all of the "Wacko Jacko" negativeivity from the media and others.

[Halfwit]

I am a fan of Michael, but since he was obviously lying about his plastic surgeries, everythin he said about his medical condition was suspect

[montecarlo408]

If you know anything about lupus and vitiligo, or you have any loved ones who suffer from it, you'd know the signs and how painful it is. He had all of the classic signs of discord and systemic lupus. I know. My mother has it and I've lost two friends from it, one from massive cardiac arrest.

[Dewtrell]

I have to agree with you Halfwit... he has more than just two nose jobs, he had several but I don't think he had a lot of plastic surgery as people claimed. Besides the nose and the chin clift, he really didn't have much of anything else. His facial structure remained the same but certainly changed over the last decade due to the drugs.

[xzalate]

Let the man rest in peace, although i don't like Debbie Rowe, it looks like everybody is trying to make money out of MJ's death, disgusting.

[yellowdoggie]

God, do I feel old. I remember when this happened.

[crayola 08b]

omg! that must have been devestating for him. i remember being a young teen and finding out about this while watching MTV news, back in the day when they were all about music. for decades we've only seen him with the white bandage around his head. i never knew it was that bad. poor michael. he had so many health related problems that he tried to cover up over the years and all we did was call him a freak. he took all that abuse rather than letting the public know what was really going on with him. it's just so sad.

[nilotic]

This is my first time seeing the whole thing so clearly too. I have to wonder why on earth he didn't talk openly and often about these things in a manner that people would take seriously. I think his antics and disguises etc. made him a joke, so people just dismissed him. Even if he didn't know how to present information to the public about what he was dealing with in a convincing manner, didn't he have top notch PR people to do the job? What about his siblings? I would have fought for him is he was my brother and I knew all of this. Why suffer in virtual silence? Maybe some of it stems from the self-loathing. It is sad.

[iRock]

if YOU called him a freak, yes, you SHOULD feel bad.

[nilotic]

I took the time to post a thoughful response to your post, but it wasn't posted. I can't be bothered to post it again. All I was saying is that I agree with you that this is the first time I have seen clear footage of the accident. I don't understand why MJ suffered in virtual silence. It makes me wonder about his family, more than his friends. Why didn't they set the record straight about what he was going through? I'm amazed that his PR people didn't do their job either. Very sad.

[moodigirl]

Wow! How is this just now being released? I don't get it. Who knew it as this bad? That was absolutely horrible to watch. and to think he didn't even know it was burning!

I am speechless. All this time, I've had the thought of how bad could he have been burned. The man's entire head was on fire!!

This guy was just blessed and cursed at the same time. What a life.

[tiger313]

Michael Jackson funded a wing on a hospital for burn victims after this. It's my understanding that Pepsi did give him a settlement which he used for it. Now everyone gets to see how serious this burn was, and how generous Michael Jackson truly was.
There is the author of Unmasked on TV and supposedly his book makes a compelling argument for the extortion of MJ through both accusations of molestation. He started the book after the 2003 trial in an attempt to prove that the jury's acquittal was wrong. He ultimately believes Michael Jackson was extorted and framed. This is what MJ has been saying for years. So all along, MJ was probably telling the truth about everything.
Yes, he is responsible for his behavior and addictions, but he was exploited by everyone, family and so called friends. RIP Michael Jackson, I love you.

[Ohioan730]

Wow. I had no idea the fire completely engulfed his head like that. He was still gracious enough to wave as they took him away in the ambulance. That HAD to hurt. I have actually seen some of that video before but not as clearly. Its disturbing. Why would somebody dig that up now to report on? Bizarre. That was 25 years ago.

[nilotic]

I agree about the extremely late release of this footage. I didn't care for the overly dramatic music either...

[sarahwaters]

did michael sue pepsi, see mico brando, he was there helping

[liarsclub75]

No Michael did not sue. Pepsi gave Michael money and he used it for help burn victims.

[candlewax]

see the comment from this poster to answer your question.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/sosplendid?action=comments

[PoliSci2008]

WOW! There was a lot of love for MJ with all those people trying to but the flames out. I never will understand why he felt so lonely.

Then again, being by yourself may be anti-climatic after experiencing the adulation of concert crowds on a regular basis.

[rdiaz921]

he could never develop normal relationships when girls have chased him since he was 12.

MJ interview 20/20 1980
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo0G4UJngLc

[ddanimal]

Weird. It looked like it took him a very long time to realize his hair was on fire.

Also looked like there were some chemicals in his hair burning-like petroleumbased product or something,

[Ohioan730]

That's exactly what ignited his hair--petroleum based product they make for wet curly perms AKA the Jherri Curl circa 1980s.

[situationcritical]

Do you remember where you were when this happened?

I do.

I was at the filming of this Pepsi commercial. And it was horrifying. I still remember him calling out for Tito, and Miko Brando was the first to get to him.

I was there the night before too, while they were shooting the dressing room scenes. I was in one of the dressing rooms as they shot the brothers walking down the hall. In between takes Michael stood with his back too close to a hot light, and the sequins on the back of his jacket melted into his skin.

He actually got burned twice.

[liarsclub75]

I was in Junior High School when this happened. There was a black girl in shop class who got her hair burnt around the same time and a Michael Jackson joke was made. (She wasn't hurt, BTW).

Although a lot of jokes were made about it at the time, this incident was very tragic. Thanks for sharing your story about being there.

[Dionita]

I've got a bone spur in my shoulder and I want some relief from the pain which is 24/7. I can't imagine what Michael went through without breaking down.

[Unique71]

i never realize that incident was that bad. why haven't the michael ever sued PEPSI or the pyrotechnicians?.....that's what you called "pain" and "suffering".

[Gin1234]

He got a settlement of 1.5 million from Pepsi.

[liarsclub75]

That video makes me sad . :(

[Bude]

I hate when that happens!