Thaindian News

Brand new footage, unreleased up until now, has now been posted on the net by US Weekly, a popular newsstand favorite, of the infamous Michael Jackson pyrotechnical mishap way back in 1984, in course of filming of a Pepsi commercial, creating quite a stir in the net community.

While the incident itself was one which received more than it’s share of publicity, as has generally been the case with anything associated with the Pop legend, the fairly graphic visual impact of the harrowing incident evidently has been overwhelming, going by the incredible interest the footage seems to have generated. For the record, the harrowing experience, occurred on January 27th, 1984 in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, where Jackson was filming before a screaming crowd of 3000 fans as a part of a Pepsi commercial, endorsing it’s signature soda.

While the first couple of takes seems to have gone just fine, with the pyrotechnics going off on schedule without incident, the sixth take is apparently where things snowball out of control, with the apparent premature explosion of a special effects fireworks tower, with the almost immediate sight of Jackson’s hair bursting into flames at the back of his head.

Initially unaware of the flagrance, he continues to dance, but then on realization, whirls around to try and put it out, right after he descends down the stairs. He reportedly suffered second and third degree burns on the scalp and body from the accident, and had to undergo multiple surgeries on the scorched spot on his head.

According to popular belief, it was during this difficult time, which is commonly accepted to also be somewhat of a troubled turning point in his life, that his obsession with plastic surgery and addiction to prescription pain-medication kicked off.