Pepsi Statement About the Release of a Disturbing Video of Michael

Not long ago, a very painful and shocking video about the incident in which Michael burned during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984 leaked to various media outlets. In that incident, Michael’s hair caught fire due to mistakes in calculations and operations during the execution of the fireworks and special effects related to the commercial film. That year, Pepsi paid Michael $1.4 million in damages, and Michael donated all that money to a burn treatment center. A Pepsi spokesperson said: "We don’t know how this film made its way to the media and reached the public. The question for us is why, 25 years after that incident, someone wanted to share such horrifying scenes. That was a terrifying incident, and we will never forget it." The spokesperson, quoting Pepsi, said they do not know who has the right to distribute this film, but they do not intend to pursue legally the person or people who sold the film to the media or prevent its showing and broadcast. In that incident, Michael’s head and face suffered second- and third-degree burns, and he needed to undergo skin graft surgery. The incident led to Michael spending the rest of his life under medical treatment with painkiller pills. For several days, after the release of this painful film that shocked and upset many people, Pepsi did not show any willingness to respond to the matter. Until finally, with a statement, it tried both to condemn the release of the film and to pay tribute to the King of Pop—three weeks after his death! In the 1980s, the years when Pepsi was proud to use Michael, it managed—thanks to the enduring music legend—to surpass its main and constant rival, Coca-Cola. The innovative commercial films that were recorded with Michael and/or alongside his brothers for Pepsi were always praised by critics, and were described as innovative films that pave the way for future progress. Continuing in the statement, the Pepsi spokesperson said: "We were grateful to God for Michael’s recovery after that incident, and we were thankful that we were able to continue working with him on several other successful projects. As an artist, Michael helped us get our production line going with his music, and like everyone else, we are saddened by his passing." In 1993, while performing the Dangerous tour to raise money for the Heal The World charity, allegations of sexual abuse were brought against him by a 13-year-old boy at the same time. Michael turned to painkiller pills and then announced that, due to his addiction to these pills, he was unable to perform the remaining concerts of the Dangerous tour. Michael, of course, said the reason for using painkillers was a very painful surgery that had recently been performed on him to remove the extra skin related to the Pepsi fire incident from his head. Pepsi was the sponsor of the tour, and after the tour ended, it ended its collaboration with Michael. Many believed that Pepsi left an artist who owed its success to him. Michael used all the profits from the tour for charity, exactly as he had promised. The untold truth of 1993: In fact, the main complainant was Evan Chandler, the father of that boy (Jerdi), who never showed up to testify in court. Before accusing Michael, he had threatened him that if his demand—giving a large amount of money to the community—was not met, he would bring a charge against him. When Michael didn’t give him any attention, he tried another way to achieve his request. There is a recorded voice of him on the phone telling a friend that if his plan worked, he could get a lot of money from Michael. At that time, the police discovered that Evan Chandler, who was a dentist, had injected a psychoactive drug called sodium amytal into his son, Jerdi. Evan said he used the drug to numb his son’s teeth. However, the drug had become obsolete and its use was banned. If injected into a person, this drug can affect that person’s emotions and rationality, and for that reason it is considered a psychoactive drug. Some believed the reason the complainant’s father injected this drug into his son was exactly this. Michael’s advisors told him that he should give the money to the complainant’s father and free himself. They told Michael that if the case went to court, it would last for years in the media and would harm his profession. Evan got what he wanted, and the 13-year-old complainant also refused to participate in court. In this way, the case was taken off the judicial agenda and closed. Some time after Michael’s death, a rumor spread in online media that the complainant had confessed to his lies and announced that he had been forced by his father to file a lawsuit against Michael. Although this was not confirmed and did not reach reputable media, the truth of the matter cannot be anything else. Source: eMJey / MJFC / E Online