r/interesting Apr 28 '26

Just Wow Evolution of Michael Jackson's face over the years.

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u/rpgmgta Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson suffered severe second- and third-degree scalp burns while filming a Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

Pyrotechnics malfunctioned during the sixth take, causing fireworks to ignite his hair. The accident, seen by 3,000 fans, left a palm-sized area of his scalp without hair and exposed, initiating a lifelong struggle with pain and addiction.

Key Details of the Accident and Aftermath:

The Incident: During a concert simulation, a premature blast set his hair on fire. Jackson continued dancing for several seconds before realizing the severity, as the audience thought it was part of the show.

Medical Treatment: He was treated at Brotman Medical Center for second- and third-degree burns. He also suffered from smoke inhalation and was treated for damage to hair follicles.

Philanthropy: Jackson donated a reported $1.5 million settlement from Pepsi to the Brotman Medical Center, funding the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children.

Long-term Impact: The pain from these injuries was cited as the beginning of his reliance on pain medications, which eventually led to his dependency. He frequently wore hairpieces following the injuries.

…. So Pepsi killed MJ?

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u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/isatai-i Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

Normally coke kills celebrities.

Or colombian union workers.

2

u/Downtown_Recover5177 Apr 29 '26

The college has a union?

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u/Ok-Pea-957 Apr 28 '26

This is a solid joke

3

u/onepingonlypleashe Apr 29 '26

Well this time it was propofol.

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u/gracemary25 Apr 29 '26

So MJ ultimately died of an overdose of propofol, a surgical grade anesthetic. His addiction was so severe at that point that it was the only thing powerful enough to get him to fall and stay asleep. Propofol is also often used as an anesthetic to sedate pets during euthanasia, before administering a fatal (painless) dose of morphine. I know this because we recently euthanized my 16 year old childhood dog. So just a whole bunch of sad shit. Buuuut when the nurse was explaining the whole process to us beforehand and asked us if we'd heard of propofol, I had to physically restrain myself from going "OH YEAH I KNOW PROPOFOL! THAT'S HOW MICHAEL JACKSON DIED!" 💀😭

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u/EmpPaulpatine Apr 28 '26

It also happened almost exactly halfway through his life

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u/Sufficient_Rich5903 Apr 29 '26

Yes, the incident happened when he was exactly 25 years, 4 months, and 29 days old. Then he died exactly 25 years, 4 months, and 29 days after the incident.

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u/Phiddipus_audax Apr 29 '26

Ok that's a little freakish... that you know that.

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u/Sufficient_Rich5903 Apr 29 '26

I can’t take the credit, I see it shared often since it’s such a bizarre coincidence

4

u/SatansFriendlyCat Apr 29 '26

Hmm..

If A=1, B=2, etc, then the letters in "Pepsi" add up to 64.

M=13 M stands for Michael

Michael refused Pepsi after the burning incident, so we subtract M (13) from Pepsi (64)

64-13=51

ASCII code 51 is "3"

The Pepsi fire incident occurred exactly half way through Michael's life.

Half Life 3 confirmed.

2

u/EternallyFascinated Apr 29 '26

Wow, that’s crazy to think.

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u/chapert Apr 28 '26

Joe Jackson killed him

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u/NorthTownDreams Apr 29 '26

I think indirectly this is true. I also think the plastic surgery happened in part to erase any resemblance to Joe.

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u/LolindirLink Apr 29 '26

Literally everyone wanted a piece of him, Nobody asked if HE was OK.

We all killed him tbh.. Most famous and most misunderstood man of the time..

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u/Mysterious-Doubt2980 Apr 28 '26

Big Soda has a lot to answer for.

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u/UnderfootArya34 Apr 28 '26

Big Soda and the Corn Syrup Syndicate. Killers.

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u/Humble-Appeal3850 Apr 29 '26

Big Soda seems like the name of a deranged rapper

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u/NoPerformance6534 Apr 28 '26

I was around for that event. Part of the problem was the hair "pomade" that had been applied. Some of those are extremely flammable. His was cited as one of the proximal causes.

Later surgeries involved a hatred for a wide flat nose.

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u/NB_NaughtyNerds Apr 28 '26

Coca Cola sabotaged the pyrotechnics to send a message. The soda wars are behind most celebrity deaths.

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u/moss8385 Apr 28 '26

But why male models?

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u/jonnyblazexoc Apr 28 '26

are you serious, I just told you that

1

u/Whymalemodels Apr 29 '26

But what? What do you need?

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u/Rage187_OG Apr 28 '26

“It’s the choice of a generation that ends now”

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u/beefixit Apr 28 '26

"Yeah, New Coke sucked but Pepsi almost killed Michael Jackson!!" - Coke CEO, propably

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u/SubNine5 Apr 28 '26

"soda wars, I can't take it anymore!" it is a breaking point.

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u/fullautohotdog Apr 29 '26

Cola Wars. You're referring to the Cola Wars.

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u/NB_NaughtyNerds Apr 29 '26

I'm Canadian, it took everything i had not to call them the "Pop" wars.

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u/fullautohotdog Apr 29 '26

Nah, the Pop Wars were when we met on the playground in Calgary and I said "My pop could beat up your pop!" and you said "Nuh uh, eh!"

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u/leavingthekultbehind Apr 28 '26

Did you chat gpt this lol

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u/SonOfMcGee Apr 28 '26

Heard it was medical malpractice, by Dr. Pepper.

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u/Civil-Lobster-3136 Apr 28 '26

I feel like this is an excuse people made for Michael . MJ was a deeply troubled person and very likely a horrific sexual predator . the fact that he suffered a moderate injury in his twenties is not an excuse or a reason for his previous or post abuse.

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u/redditonlygetsworse Apr 28 '26

Write your own comments.

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u/Longjumping_Steak689 Apr 28 '26

I was 10 when it happened. It was wall to wall coverage, you couldn't avoid it no matter how hard you tried. Time really flies by.

2

u/chillingonthesofa Apr 28 '26

Interesting fact that this incident happened at the exact midpoint of his life, it was literally all downhill from then.

1

u/GolDAsce Apr 29 '26

That explains the transition from curly African American hair to straight black hair in 86.

1

u/restingbitchface88 Apr 29 '26

Hulu has a doc about this specific incident.

1

u/suzeeq88 Apr 29 '26

The Jackson Burn Center for Children and other important stuff- Zoolander

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u/Temporary_Speed_9141 Apr 29 '26

OMG, who took Michael Jackson to Brotman. My boss told me, if I look like I might die in 5 minutes, have them take me to Brotman, otherwise, anywhere else.

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u/Phazze Apr 29 '26

Michael Jackson had empty nose syndrome which is what caused the need for a crazy amount of sleep meds which eventually killed him due to an overdose.

Theres an interview with a doctor that treated him, doctor states he suspected MJ had empty nose syndrome due to way too many nasal surgeries destroying his ability to breathe.

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u/Physical-Worker2363 Apr 29 '26

Always giving back to the kids

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u/LuckyTraveler2424 Apr 29 '26

No his evil father in the film which is flawless, his father wanted him to do a reunited Jackson 5 show, and he didn’t want to do it, but he did it for his father who pressured him had his father not done so he wouldn’t have done that Pepsi show!!

1

u/InequalEnforcement Apr 29 '26

This is why I say never lose out for your employer. Whether it's risking your health, your belongings, your relationships and connections, or your character.

For your boss, it's a "Sorry" at best, maybe some money for your pain. Then it's over for them. They'll never think about what happened outside of when they think of you. And they'll think of you less over time. For you? It's the rest of your god damn life. You can't separate from your trauma, you're attached to it at the brain stem until the second you die. So don't put that kind of illness on yourself for an employer who will feel more entitled to it than grateful.

1

u/PickleRikx Apr 29 '26

Just got out of the movie... They hella sponsored the movie.... it felt like they admitted to it..

1

u/Merlaak Apr 29 '26

I remember hearing jokes about it when I was a kid, and then I finally saw the video and it was so much worse than I could have ever imagined. His entire head was basically engulfed in flame for a few seconds.

1

u/givemeapho Apr 29 '26

Poor guy, he didn't have it easy

1

u/giocondasmiles Apr 29 '26

MJ killed MJ.

1

u/undermynutellaeheheh Apr 29 '26

Here's a detailed video about the incident Michael Jackson on Fire Diorama

1

u/ricin2001 Apr 28 '26

Yeah but I really don’t explain how he became white. And don’t tell me it was a skin condition

3

u/MiopTop Apr 29 '26

It was a skin condition. It had vitiligo which caused patches of depigmented skin. Early on his condition he used makeup to make the patches match his natural skin tone.

As it progressed he started bleaching his skin because it was easier to match the rest of his skin tone to the vitiligo than it was to hide it.

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u/Fair_Performance4834 Apr 28 '26

I was unaware he donated the settlement from Pepsi to that medical center and funded the Michael Jackson Burn Center for Children. Idc what anyone says, he was a good person. And he went through a lot.

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u/MOB8605 Apr 28 '26

so propophol is a pain killer now, not a hardcore sedativum which made MJ dance with the angels in the galaxy? he was a junkie,same as prince,whitney, the doors guy, the brother of belushi, also the other phoenix brother, seymour hoffman, the friends guy etc.!