imehollis
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 36
- Points
- 0
LKL WEB EXCLUSIVE: He Saved Michael Jackson’s Life
Posted: 07:39 PM ET
Miko Brando, who viewers have come to know well through our coverage of this story, was there the day Michael was filming the Pepsi commercial. He leaped to Michael’s aid when his hair caught fire, and Miko’s actions helped save Michael’s life. He remembers that day, and what followed, below.
It was January 1984. We were filming the Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Pepsi was sponsoring Michael’s upcoming Victory Tour. Michael was coming down the stairs. I was stage left, about 25 feet away. I saw him on fire. I immediately jumped on him and shook his head to get the fire out. There was no hesitation. My first instinct was to go help my friend.
I have to admit, I didn’t see the fire right when it started because my angle was blocked. He was behind the musicians, and it wasn’t until he was in front of me that I realized what had happened. When I got to Michael we were pushed to the ground. Very shortly after that, a couple of EMT’s arrived and asked us to give him some room. They lifted him and took him off the stage. I believe there was an ambulance on standby because we were using pyrotechnics. He was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai emergency room. He was at Cedars for a while, then transferred to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City. Brotman eventually opened The Michael Jackson Burn Center after Michael donated his $1.5 million settlement with Pepsi to the hospital.
I went to the hospital, but not right away. My hands were burned a bit. Some EMT’s checked me out, and said I was OK. As soon as I was cleared I went to Cedars. I wanted to be with my friend. I don’t remember how long he was in the hospital after the incident. I went to see him several times, and each time he thanked me for being there, and for saving his life. Our friendship really took off from there.
The accident wasn’t something Michael would dwell on, but he would sometimes say “thanks for being there, thanks for saving me.” I would tell him I was always there for him, and he was always there for me. One day he said — and I forget the situation — but he said “thanks to you, I can do this.” I knew what he meant. I also know if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing for me.
The last week of Michael’s life, during the rehearsals for his tour, we were talking backstage. We talked about the kids, my son Shane, who’s in college, and were just having a normal conversation, until he asked me if I would be close by during the pyrotechnic parts of the show. 25 years after the accident, Michael wanted me there. I didn’t need to ask why. It was unspoken, but understood. Shortly after that conversation, I went to Michael’s stage manager Scott Chase, and he said he’d make it happen.
Seeing the video now brings back a lot of emotions, and it’s hard to really put them into words. I’ve seen the incident on tape before from many angles, including the one that was just released. There were about 6 or 7 cameras rolling at the time. Michael’s attorneys showed it to me when they were preparing for the lawsuit. While we were watching it, they told me I was lucky I wasn’t shot. I was in street clothes, and there was a lot of security around. They had no idea why I was running up to Michael Jackson during the shooting of a commercial. But I just went. I was there at a crucial part of his life. I reacted the way anyone would who saw someone they cared about in trouble.
http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/16/lkl-web-exclusive-he-saved-michael-jacksons-life/
Posted: 07:39 PM ET
Miko Brando, who viewers have come to know well through our coverage of this story, was there the day Michael was filming the Pepsi commercial. He leaped to Michael’s aid when his hair caught fire, and Miko’s actions helped save Michael’s life. He remembers that day, and what followed, below.
It was January 1984. We were filming the Pepsi commercial at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Pepsi was sponsoring Michael’s upcoming Victory Tour. Michael was coming down the stairs. I was stage left, about 25 feet away. I saw him on fire. I immediately jumped on him and shook his head to get the fire out. There was no hesitation. My first instinct was to go help my friend.
I have to admit, I didn’t see the fire right when it started because my angle was blocked. He was behind the musicians, and it wasn’t until he was in front of me that I realized what had happened. When I got to Michael we were pushed to the ground. Very shortly after that, a couple of EMT’s arrived and asked us to give him some room. They lifted him and took him off the stage. I believe there was an ambulance on standby because we were using pyrotechnics. He was rushed to the Cedars-Sinai emergency room. He was at Cedars for a while, then transferred to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City. Brotman eventually opened The Michael Jackson Burn Center after Michael donated his $1.5 million settlement with Pepsi to the hospital.
I went to the hospital, but not right away. My hands were burned a bit. Some EMT’s checked me out, and said I was OK. As soon as I was cleared I went to Cedars. I wanted to be with my friend. I don’t remember how long he was in the hospital after the incident. I went to see him several times, and each time he thanked me for being there, and for saving his life. Our friendship really took off from there.
The accident wasn’t something Michael would dwell on, but he would sometimes say “thanks for being there, thanks for saving me.” I would tell him I was always there for him, and he was always there for me. One day he said — and I forget the situation — but he said “thanks to you, I can do this.” I knew what he meant. I also know if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing for me.
The last week of Michael’s life, during the rehearsals for his tour, we were talking backstage. We talked about the kids, my son Shane, who’s in college, and were just having a normal conversation, until he asked me if I would be close by during the pyrotechnic parts of the show. 25 years after the accident, Michael wanted me there. I didn’t need to ask why. It was unspoken, but understood. Shortly after that conversation, I went to Michael’s stage manager Scott Chase, and he said he’d make it happen.
Seeing the video now brings back a lot of emotions, and it’s hard to really put them into words. I’ve seen the incident on tape before from many angles, including the one that was just released. There were about 6 or 7 cameras rolling at the time. Michael’s attorneys showed it to me when they were preparing for the lawsuit. While we were watching it, they told me I was lucky I wasn’t shot. I was in street clothes, and there was a lot of security around. They had no idea why I was running up to Michael Jackson during the shooting of a commercial. But I just went. I was there at a crucial part of his life. I reacted the way anyone would who saw someone they cared about in trouble.
http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/16/lkl-web-exclusive-he-saved-michael-jacksons-life/
