26 Years Ago Today: Pepsi Turns Sour For Michael Jackson

CLEVELAND - Michael Jackson is said to have died from an overdose of prescription medications given to him by his doctor. The legendary entertainer had also become dependent on several painkillers, an addiction that was birthed after an awful fire in 1984 that nearly claimed his life.

Damn you, Pepsi.

It was 26 years ago today that Michael's scalp was severely burned while filming a Pepsi commercial. The event was horrible enough at the time given the fact that Jackson was at the very peak of his popularity and success. On top of that, the near fatal incident wound up having much worse lasting effects that didn't become apparent until last summer. That's when Michael suddenly died at age 50 from the aforementioned overdose. Those close to him revealed that because of the immense pain that resulted from the second degree burns he suffered on the Pepsi set, he began taking painkillers. That led to an addiction, which brought him into the world of other meds that would help him sleep or cope with the stress of his high-profile career and personal life.

Talk about a chain reaction.

It was baffling to me that, in mid-July 2009, video footage from that infamous Pepsi ad surfaced after 25 years and showed in very graphic detail exactly how Michael's hair caught fire. It shows him, at age 25 clad in a sparkly jacket and standing at the top of a flight of stairs. In front of him is an audience of people placed there to simulate a concert. Michael descended the staircase several times, but on the sixth take, a tiny spark from a pyrotechnics effect shot into his very flammable Jheri-curled hair. Oblivious to what has happened, the megastar struts down the steps while his head becomes engulfed in flames. He does one of his trademark quicksilver spins, and suddenly realizes his hair is ablaze, then drops to the floor. At this point, Miko Brando and several others frantically rush to him and smother the flames out. Seconds later, Jackson is helped to his feet with a now gaping patch of missing hair in the back of his head. He looks a bit shaken and groggy as he is whisked away to an ambulance.

Michael wound up recovering and Pepsi settled with him for $1.5 million. Naturally, MJ donated the money to a hospital which now houses The Michael Jackson Burn Center as a result. Needless to say, the entertainment industry held its collective breath when news of this accident spread. At the time, Michael's status within the United States and abroad was excellent. He was the most invincible, unassailable and mindlessly talented figure in the business who was less than two months past the release of the groundbreaking "Thriller" music video. He'd just won an amazing eight American Music Awards less than two weeks prior to the fire and was a month away from dominating the Grammys with another eight awards. In other words, Michael was the biggest thing on planet Earth at the time outside of water.

Looking back, I have fond memories of that Pepsi commercial as well as another he did in tandem. But I still remember my six year old self being horrified and very scared at what happened to MJ that night. In light of his demise last summer and its loose connection to the '84 fire, I have some contempt for Pepsi, rightly or wrongly.

Because of what happened to Michael on their watch, Pepsi will always leave a bad taste in my mouth.