Jackson was burned while singing for a Pepsi - Cola commercial in 1994 . Without immediate efforts to resuscitate a person , the survival rate is usually 5 percent to 15 percent , he said . His skin condition , vitiligo , causes a person to lose melanin , the pigment in skin . He died in 1995 from apparent dehydration and low blood pressure . More rumors emerged in May that Jackson had terminal cancer , but were discredited .
Jackson was burned while singing for a Pepsi - Cola commercial in 1994 . His skin condition , vitiligo , causes a person to lose melanin , the pigment in skin . He died in 1995 from apparent dehydration and low blood pressure . More rumors emerged in May that Jackson had terminal cancer , but were discredited .