New Michael Jackson Documentary Shockingly Claims 1984 Pepsi Fire Triggered Star's Tragic Downward Spiral

More than 15 years after Michael Jackson’s sudden death at age 50, a new documentary is revisiting a pivotal — and painful — moment that may have altered the trajectory of the King of Pop’s life forever.

In TMZ Presents: Michael Jackson: Fatal 30 Seconds, which aired Thursday, February 19, at 9 p.m. ET on Fox, the outlet uses interviews and never-before-seen footage to make the case that a pyrotechnic malfunction during a 1984 Pepsi commercial shoot caused injuries that ultimately led to Jackson’s death decades later.

The trailer features behind-the-scenes footage from the January 1984 commercial set, capturing the moment Jackson's hair begins smoking, surrounded by smoke from the pyrotechnics. He spends a few seconds trying to handle it alone, shaking his head and spinning, before the fire grows much larger and people finally circle around him to help. But additional angles show much more clearly how significant the flames were from the start, despite being somewhat obscured by the smoke.

According to the documentary, Jackson suffered severe burns to his scalp, injuries that led to chronic pain, repeated surgeries and long-term reliance on prescription painkillers.

“One has to wonder what the trajectory of Michael's life would have been like had he not been burned in 1984,” Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Harry Grossman says in the trailer. “And after that, he started developing this addiction.”

Motown Productions president Suzanne De Passe put it bluntly: “Every single aspect of his life was impacted, and not in a good way.”

The special suggests the accident marked a turning point, placing Jackson on a path dominated by medical procedures and pain management — issues that shadowed him for the rest of his career.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at a rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, as he prepared for his highly anticipated This Is It comeback tour.

Struggling with insomnia in the weeks leading up to his death, Jackson relied on his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, to administer medications to help him sleep. On the morning of June 25, Murray gave Jackson a dose of Propofol — a powerful anesthetic typically used in hospital settings.

The Los Angeles County Coroner later ruled Jackson’s death a homicide caused by acute Propofol intoxication, which led to cardiac arrest. Additional drugs found in his system included Lorazepam, Midazolam, Diazepam, Lidocaine and Ephedrine. Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 and sentenced to four years in prison, ultimately serving two.

News of Jackson’s death sent shockwaves around the globe, crashing websites and prompting an outpouring of tributes. A public memorial at the then-Staples Center drew thousands, while millions more watched worldwide.

Despite the tragic end, Jackson’s legacy remains towering. From “Thriller” to groundbreaking music videos and dance moves that reshaped pop culture, he continues to influence artists today.