Michael Jackson Escaped Death From Fire Twice in His Life
Michael Jackson is one of the most revered and enigmatic celebrities ever. The singer topped charts frequently, earning him the title “The King of Pop.” Jackson’s personal life, however, was marked by tragedy, ranging from devastating illness to catastrophic events. The singer died in 2009, but Michael Jackson escaped death at least twice before that.
A Pepsi ad commercial marked Michael Jackson for life
Jackson was a high-profile celebrity throughout his life, a status which made him very desirable to companies who wanted to work with him. One of his most lucrative endorsements was with Pepsi. The collaboration added more wealth to Jackson’s net worth. However, one commercial ended up marking him for life.
The incident happened during a Pepsi shoot in January 1984. The commercial saw Jackson standing on a stage and performing one of his famous routines, after which he would descend the steps. The event initially went as planned as the pyrotechnics exploded as intended in the first few takes.
However, during the sixth take, things went wrong. The explosion went off too early, and the sparks hit the star’s hair, setting it on fire. Jackson continued performing before realizing his head was on fire. The rest of the team came to his rescue to try and put the fire out. But by the time they’d done so, the singer had already suffered significant burns.
Jackson sustained second-degree burns on his head and scalp, which forced him to resort to wearing wigs to hide the scarring. However, the Grammy Award-winner had a positive attitude toward the otherwise traumatic issue. As the New York Daily News reported, the singer smiled during his ambulance ride to the hospital.
Jackson almost died writing ‘Billie Jean’
The Pepsi incident followed another fire-related incident in Jackson’s life. While planning one of his most acclaimed songs, he nearly missed something happening right before his eyes.
The artist detailed the event in his autobiography Moonwalk. He wrote, “One day during a break during a recording session, I was riding down the Ventura Freeway with Nelson Hayes, who was working with me at the time. ‘Billie Jean‘ was going around in my head and that’s all I was thinking about. We were getting off the freeway when a kid on a motorcycle pulls up to us and says, ‘Your car’s on fire.'”
The singer continued, noting that he and his companion looked back and saw the entire bottom of the Rolls Royce was on fire. “That kid probably saved our lives. If the car had exploded, we would have been killed,” he wrote. Jackson further noted that even as they were receiving help, ‘Billie Jean’ still occupied his mind, “That’s how involved I was with Billie Jean,” he said.
Jackson died at the age of 50
Sexual abuse allegations plagued Jackson’s later life, but that didn’t deter him. In early 2009, amid speculations about his health, the singer announced a series of comeback concerts dubbed This Is It, hinting at his retirement afterward. The concert would be his first major show since his iconic 1997 HIStory World Tour.
This Is It was scheduled to kick off in July 2009. However, news broke of Michael Jackson’s untimely death less than three weeks before the shows started. The singer’s cause of death was ruled as cardiac arrest caused by a combination of benzodiazepine and protocol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray. Jackson was 50 when he died.
