It’s fair to say that the conspiracy theory surrounding Canadian singer Avril Lavigne is one of the wildest ones out there, with some people genuinely speculating that she died and was replaced with a body double called Melissa Vandella in 2003.
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If you’re confused, then don’t worry; here’s a full breakdown:
Avril was just 17 years old when she shot to fame in 2002 with chart-topping songs like “Complicated” and “Sk8er Boi.”
However, the theory argues that shortly after the release of her debut album, Let Go, Avril took her own life as she struggled to cope with her rising star profile as well as the death of her grandfather.
According to the conspiracists, an Avril lookalike called Melissa Vandella was initially hired to distract the paparazzi and protect Avril as she became more reclusive — and prior to Avril’s apparent death, “Melissa” was taught how to sing and perform like the star.
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Avril’s record label apparently then covered up her death and completely replaced her with Melissa so that they could continue profiting from Avril’s growing celebrity.
This theory dates back to 2005, but it first gained traction in 2011 thanks to a Brazilian blog called Avril Está Morta, which literally translates to “Avril Is Dead.”
Interestingly, the opening line of the first blog post admits that the whole thing is a hoax, translating to: “This blog was created to show how conspiracy theories can look true,” but readers still fell for the subsequent breakdown of apparent evidence that supports the idea that Avril had died several years earlier.
The evidence in question highlights subtle changes to Avril’s appearance after 2003, and also draws attention to a photoshoot where Avril had the name “Melissa” written on her hand.
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In addition, it has been claimed that the singer’s 2004 album Under My Skin contains subliminal messaging, where “Melissa” confesses that she isn’t the real Avril.
Since 2011, the conspiracy has regularly resurfaced across social media, with viral threads fueling the speculation — despite Avril repeatedly shutting it down.
During a Facebook livestream in 2017, Avril responded to a fan who asked if she was dead by saying: “No, I’m not dead; I’m here. People are just bored and need something to talk about.”
The following year, Avril explained the theory in an interview on Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O, where she said: “Some people think that I’m not the real me, which is so weird! Like, why would they even think that?”
And in 2019, the star told Entertainment Weekly that she was “flabbergasted” some people had bought the “dumb internet rumor.”
Now, in a recent appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Avril has laughed the entire thing off as she insisted that the rumor could somehow be worse.
Call Her Daddy / Via youtube.com
In the interview, host Alexandra Cooper began: “There’s a crazy rumor out there about you that I obviously have to ask about.”
“Oh, yeah, that one, I know what you’re talking about,” Avril immediately replied. “There’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me.”
At this point, Avril gave a defiant thumbs-up to the camera as she struggled to hold back her laughter, saying: “Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right? I feel like I got a good one. I don’t think it’s negative or anything creepy, so it’s like, we’re good.”
“Avril, this conspiracy theory about you is a little creepy, come on!” Alexandra retorted, to which Avril nonchalantly replied: “Yeah, I don’t know, it could be worse.”
