Formerly known as the King of Pop, Michael Jackson was once the most renowned superstar on the planet, thanks to his impeccable musical talent and unconventional lifestyle.
With a number of accolades under his belt, Michael lived a life of fascination, speculation and, of course, lavish abundance before his tragic death on June 25, 2009.
However, despite all the glitz and glam that came with his fame, he also encountered several tragedies throughout the course of his career that often made front-page news in the press.
On January 27, 1984, Michael was faced with a terrifying ordeal when shooting a Pepsi commercial which drastically changed the course of his life.
Daily Star has taken an in-depth look into what happened on the day and how it led to the star’s secret baldness.
Pepsi commercial goes horribly wrong
(Image: Pepsi / Splash News)
On January 27, 1984, Michael, who was 25 years old at the time, joined his brothers to shoot an advert for fizzy drink brand, Pepsi.
The filming, which took place in a studio in California, was going fairly smoothly however things took a turn for the worse during the sixth take.
While Michael was performing on set, pyrotechnics went off bigger than expected, launching embers into his hair and face, which left his head engulfed in flames.
(Image: Pepsi / Splash News)
The singer was totally unaware that he was on fire initially until his entourage jumped on him and put the fire out.
Jackson’s friend and security guard Mike Brando said at a press conference: “The explosion was much larger [than earlier takes]. The explosion was set off sooner than ever before.
“[Michael] told me yesterday he was directed by Bob Giraldi in the final take to remain alongside the fireworks until after the explosion.”
Medical attention
(Image: Michael Jackson)
Michael was immediately hurried to the back of the set and treated by staff and his brothers.
Paramedics were also called to the scene and Michael was quickly strapped to a stretcher and taken to the Brotman Memorial Hospital to treat severe burns to his face, scalp and body, while those left on set were told to leave the studio immediately.
Steven Hoefflin, who worked as Michael’s doctor at the time, said the star was “noted to be quite shaken up with palm-sized area of second-degree and small area of third-degree burns”.
To help with the pain and to help calm his nerves, the Billie Jean singer was prescribed painkillers, as well as a “powerful sedative” which was used to help him stay calm and sleep.
(Image: Bettmann Archive)
Although Steven believed it was best for Michael to stay in hospital, the award-winning musician wanted to be treated as an outpatient and was happy to go home and left the medical centre the following day.
In a statement Steven said: “We recommended that Michael stay, but we determined this could be done as well out of the hospital as in the hospital.
“Despite our recommendation, he felt he did want to be treated as an outpatient. He was quite happy. He felt better after a good night’s sleep. He’s in excellent health and was showing very rapid signs of recovery. He’s very pleased it was not more of a severe burn.”
Many believed that the horrific incident kick-started Michael’s continuous use of sleeping pills and strong medication throughout the course of his life.
Dramatic hair loss
(Image: Rick Maiman)
Michael’s burns never completely healed, leaving him with scars across parts of his head and scalp for the rest of his life.
Due to the severity of the burns, he also never managed to grow back some of the patches of hair that were lost from the fire.
Due to this, the Grammy-award winner began wearing straight black wigs, which he became famously known for.
(Image: Getty Images)
After he passed away on July 25, 2009, Michael’s autopsy later confirmed he still had bald parts on his head.
Discussing the results from his autopsy at the time, a source claimed: “He was skin and bone, his hair had fallen out, and he had been eating nothing but pills when he died.”
The source also alleged that he had “injection marks all over his body and the disfigurement caused by years of plastic surgery show he’d been in terminal decline for some years”.
For more of the latest showbiz news from Daily Star, make sure you sign up to one of our newsletters here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
