Demo Content From The National Team
Jul 15, 2009 11:00 pm US/Eastern
New Video Shows Jackson's Horrific 1984 Accident
Michael Jackson Unaware Hair Catches Fire During Filming Of Pepsi Commercial
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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Michael Jackson is taken into a hospital with severe burns to the head after the shooting of a commercial in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 29, 1984.
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Never-before-seen footage of Michael Jackson's Pepsi commercial accident, filmed in L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 27, 1984, has emerged and it shows a horrific scene.
Still photos of the accident have been seen before, but the new video on Us Weekly's Web site shows the moment Jackson's hair caught on fire and the top of his head became engulfed in flames.
The clip, obtained exclusively by Us Weekly, shows Jackson going through numerous takes.
In one scene, the pyrotechnics explode as planned -- after Jackson descends the stairs and begins performing with his brothers.
On the sixth take, however, things go horribly wrong.
As Jackson moves to the top of the stairs and prepares for his descent, the fireworks erupt prematurely, igniting the young star's head in flames.
Jackson dances down the stairs as in previous takes, totally unaware that his hair has caught fire.
It isn't until a throng of people descend on the pop star, knocking him to the ground to oust the flames, that Jackson is aware of the horrible accident. As Jackson gets to his feet, a bald spot is visible.
It was after this accident, Us Weekly asserts, that lead to Jackson abuse of prescription medication.
To relieve the second and third-degree burns on his scalp and body (and later to help him tolerate multiple surgeries on the scorched spot on his head), Jackson was prescribed several medications -- which kicked off his addiction to painkillers and obsession with plastic surgery, multiple sources tell Us Weekly.
In his autobiography, "Moonwalk," Jackson described the cause of the accident as "stupidity, pure and simple."
As he described the accident, he wrote: "... bombs went off on either side of my head, and the sparks set my hair on fire. I was dancing down this ramp and turning around, spinning, not knowing I was on fire. Suddenly I felt my hands reflexively go to my head in an attempt to smother the flames."
As a result of the accident, Pepsi gave Jackson $1.5 million, which he donated to a burn center named after him.
A representative for Us Weekly had no immediate comment on where the video came from.
Jackson died June 25 at age 50.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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