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Release From "Brotman Memorial Hospital"

“People” magazine (February 13, 1984) (archived) (archived scan of article)

Accompanied by his entourage and sporting a black fedora and hospital whites over street clothes, Michael was taken to a private car in a wheelchair. On his way, he stopped to have his picture taken with several visitors. “He’s going to be bigger than Elvis Presley,” said a woman in her 50s. “Bigger than who?” chirped one of the preteens who had flocked around.

Nearly all of the Burn Center staff got their souvenirs, as their famous patient posed for snapshots and signed cassettes, Thriller albums and 8 x 10 glossies. And though Jackson did not dance, Hoefflin knew that wouldn’t last for long. “Telling Michael not to dance,” said the surgeon, “is like telling him not to breathe.”

Jackson plans to attend the mega-party that CBS and Epic Records are throwing in his honor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York this week, and he ought to be back in full gear by the time the Grammy awards (he’s nominated for a dozen) roll around Feb. 28. “Michael is healthy and in good shape,” says Hoefflin. “That will make for a speedy recovery.” It’s too early to judge if he will need any reconstructive surgery.

The exact cause of the accident at the Shrine Auditorium has yet to be determined. Eyewitnesses say it was a spark from one of the special lighting effects that ignited his hair. “Michael was exhausted when it happened,” says Hoefflin. “It came at the end of a week when he was trying to film the commercial, make plans for a major national tour and finish an album with his brothers.”

So far there has been no lawsuit, though the Jacksons and Pepsi executives have been carefully reviewing the film of the incident to determine if there was negligence. The sponsorship deal with Pepsi for two commercials is reportedly the most lucrative celebrity endorsement deal in history, guaranteeing the Jacksons at least $5 million. The family had to be nudged into the deal because, according to one insider, endorsing a product “isn’t a decision every artist could be comfortable with immediately.”

"Rock & Soul" magazine (August 1984)

The day after Michael received second and third degree burns on his neck and scalp, he was discharged from Brotman Memorial Hospital and was allowed to convalesce at home, where he watched his collection of silent movies and received daily phone calls from Liza Minnelli and Brooke Shields.