Michael Jackson

While the late King of Pop is no longer with us, it is impossible to discuss real-time stage disasters without the most infamous pyrotechnic accident in music history. On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson was performing his mega-hit Billie Jean at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The performance was being filmed in front of a live audience of 3,000 fans to recreate a high-octane concert environment for a massive PepsiCo commercial. During the sixth take of the evening, a special-effects magnesium smoke bomb malfunctioned and exploded prematurely as Jackson descended a stage staircase. Unaware that the sparks had ignited the pomade in his hair, Jackson incredibly continued to dance and spin for several seconds while his head was actively ablaze. The mock concert ground to a terrifying halt as crew members and his brothers rushed the stage to extinguish the flames. Jackson was carried out on a stretcher and rushed to the hospital, having suffered severe second- and third-degree burns to his scalp - a traumatic moment that altered the trajectory of his health forever.