MICHAEL Jackson's harrowing accident that sparked the addiction to painkillers that ended up killing him can be seen for the first time.
Shocking footage, which you can see below, has emerged of the Pepsi commercial on January 27, 1984, when a pyrotechnics accident left him with second and third degree burns to his face and scalp.
As Jackson strutted down the steps onto the stage at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium to sing his hit Billie Jean fireworks were supposed to explode behind him.
But on the sixth take the stunt went tragically wrong and the pyrotechnics went off too early - setting the singer's hair on fire.
Jackson was initially unaware of the flames surrounding his head and continued dancing in his trademark glittering suit for around five seconds before aides rushed on to extinguish the flames.
The accident started the late King of Pop's dependency on the painkillers that were found swamping his system when he died three weeks ago.
He had to have surgery on his scalp following the accident and has admitted he turned to painkillers to fight the pain.
Sources close to Jackson have claimed he was never the same after the 1984 accident.
One said: "His personality totally changed after that incident as drugs began to influence his life.
"He was 25 and full of life before then but after that everything changed.
"If it wasn't for that sad day, things could have been so different."
In an interview with US chatshow host Oprah Winfrey in 1993 Jacko told how he set up a burns centre for children following his accident.
He said: "I did a commercial for Pepsi and I was burned very badly and we settled for $1million and I gave all the money ... like, we bulit this place called the Michael Jackson Burn Centre."
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