lewis had a strong friendship with michael jackson for several years. the two met when jackson invited lewis to the set of the "thriller" music video, teaching him dance moves. their friendship went public in 1984 when both attended the 26th annual grammy awards. subsequently, they spent more time in public together. after jackson's hair caught on fire while filming a pepsi commercial, the singer moved into lewis' house after being discharged from the hospital. he stayed there for several months.