CURIOSITIES

Urban legends: singers supposedly dead and replaced by a lookalike

The world of music is full of legends, alleged secrets, anecdotes and little-known stories: some tales are true, others totally invented, the product of fantasy or some hypothesis that has never been verified.

These are urban legends, for which there is no certain source. Among the most interesting legends is the one about musicians and singers who may have died in the past and then been replaced by a double. 

Proponents of this theory also cite evidence of, according to them, aesthetic differences or subliminal traces left behind in albums and songs: here are five of the most famous cases of singers who supposedly died and were replaced.

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According to bizarre theories, these singers would die and then be replaced by a double
The world of music is full of legends, secrets, anecdotes and little-known stories: some tales are true, others totally invented, the product of fantasy or of some hypothesis that has never been verified. Among the most interesting urban legends is the one about singers who may have died in the past and then been replaced by a look-alike or even a clone. Proponents of such theories cite some (according to them overwhelming) evidence: from aesthetic differences to possible subliminal traces left in albums and songs. Here are some of the most famous cases of allegedly dead and replaced singers.
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Paul McCartney
Let us start with the most famous case, the alleged death of Paul McCartney. According to the famous legend, Paul died in 1966: after an argument with the Beatles, he got into his car and along the way gave a hitchhiker a lift. The latter, realising that the person behind the wheel was Paul, would have an exaggerated reaction, distracting McCartney and preventing him from noticing a red light. To avoid a collision, the car allegedly crashed into a tree, killing the passengers. John Lennon and the other Fab Four would decide to bury it secretly so as not to jeopardise the future of the group at the height of its success. Finally, they allegedly found a lookalike, actor William Campbell, who was persuaded to undergo plastic surgery to accentuate his resemblance to McCartney. According to supporters of this theory, the cover of 'Abbey Road' would contain clues to the alleged replacement.
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Britney Spears
The legend of Britney Spears' death went viral in late 2022, especially on social media. As many people know, between addictions and family problems, Britney's life was far from easy. Because of this, plotters believe that the pop star has been dead for many years now: the woman we see now would therefore be a lookalike. In support of this bizarre theory, there are alleged inconsistencies in Britney's tattoos and physical appearance, and the photos and videos circulating on her social networks are the result of photomontages and green screen retouching, in other words, special effects from the cinema. There is, of course, no official evidence to support this. On the contrary, the famous blogger Perez Hilton has categorically denied this absurd story.
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Eminem
The urban legend about Eminem claims that the rapper died in 2006 and that his entourage immediately needed to replace him with a clone: the most loyal followers even speak of an android clone! Here is the alleged evidence of the mistaken identity: since the second half of the year 2000, Eminem's jaw is said to be different, as are his eyes, which appear much duller than before. Many of the rapper's fans, however, have called this theory totally nonsensical: the aesthetic changes would only be linked to advancing age.
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Beyoncé
Urban legends spare no one, including Beyoncé. The Texan star supposedly died in the second half of the 2000s and was then replaced by a clone. Since 2010, Beyoncé's physical appearance appears to have changed slightly. Fuelling the conspiracy theory is a misinterpreted quote from the singer-songwriter herself, who once said: 'Beyoncé is dead and Sasha Fierce exists. She does things that I wouldn't do, That's not me', but Sasha Fierce is simply her artistic alter-ego, as also evidenced by the name of her 2008 album, called 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'.
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Luis Miguel
According to the rumour, 'El Sol de México' died in the 1990s of an overdose, or was even assassinated for political reasons. Supporters of this conspiracy theory speculate that Miguel was replaced by another Mexican or Argentinian artist. The proof of the existence of a double is this: from the moment of the supposed replacement, the artist would have stopped singing in Italian and playing the piano live, two typical habits of Miguel's career. In essence, whoever took his place would not have had the same skills as the 'original' Luis Miguel.
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Miley Cyrus
The bizarre theory about the death of Miley Cyrus claims that the former Disney star died in 2010 and that her body was found behind a bush in Los Angeles, only to be dragged away by two men in an off-road vehicle in order to hide it. Indeed, since 2010, the singer has undergone a distinct aesthetic, stylistic and artistic change, but her turnaround is obviously not linked to any change of persona.
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Avril Lavigne
Ever since she was very young, Avril Lavigne has been incredibly successful and dealing with the pressure when you are barely of age is not at all easy. Legend has it that, due to sudden too much fame, the singer allegedly committed suicide in 2003, at the age of 19. Conspiracists believe that the actress Melissa Vandella took the place of the original Avril Lavigne: implicit evidence of this can be found in the singer-songwriter's famous song 'My Happy Ending', released in 2004. The many denials by Avril Lavigne herself, who has always denied this crazy legend, have been to no avail: the theory, with its alleged evidence, continues to circulate undaunted on the web...
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