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Topics: Music, Conspiracy Theory
Stewart Perrie
Topics: Music, Conspiracy Theory
If you're the type that enjoys conspiracy theories then you've probably come across the one revolving around Avril Lavigne.
At one time, the 'Sk8ter Boi' singer was haunted by a theory that she had actually died years ago and because her music was so successful, music bosses decided to hire a lookalike to continue her career.
Even reading it sounds crazy... but a lot of people believed it.
And as a result, Avril actually had to come out a while back and put an end to the bizarre hypothesis.
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While promoting one of her albums, she told Entertainment Weekly: "More like that it's just a dumb internet rumour and [I'm] flabbergasted that people bought into it. Isn't that so weird? It's so dumb.
"And I look the exact same.
"On one hand, everyone is like, 'Oh my god, you look the same,' and on the other hand people are like 'Oh my god, she died'."
Mmm, that sounds exactly like what someone would say if they're trying to keep up appearances.
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If you're still lost about what the hell we're talking about, let us run you through the basics.
The theory is that she died way back in 2003 and the Avril we have seen and heard since then is a body-double and paparazzi decoy named Melissa Vandella.
Subscribers to this theory think it explains why Avril's music and look changed so much between the start of her career and now.
An alternative theory suggests that the star didn't cope very well with fame, so she hired a lookalike to pose for paparazzi and that lookalike was Melissa.
The two became friends and, one night in the studio, Avril thought it would be a laugh to teach Melissa how to sing like her (is that a thing? Asking for a friend).
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Then once Avril 'died', which is via a bunch of different methods depending on the theorist, Melissa took her place.
Sounds outrageous right? But many people believed this line of thought.
Avril was even tipped as one of the most dangerous people on the Internet.
Cybersecurity firm McAfee has said the singer was the celebrity most likely to direct internet users to websites that carry viruses or malware.
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Almost 15 percent of searches involving Avril led to websites that may contain potentially harmful malware. That number jumps to 22 percent if you search for an illegal version of her songs.
After Avril came Bruno Mars, Carly Rae Jepsen, Zayn Malik, Céline Dion, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Katy Perry and Beyoncé.