The world would be a boring place without conspiracy theories. Whilst we're not sure we believe in 99% of the stuff we read online and see pulled apart in YouTube videos, it's still interesting to sit down and take in what somebody thinks has happened to someone, something, or somewhere.
This week, we'll be looking at one of the strangest conspiracies to ever hit the internet, and it all revolves around one of the biggest artists of the early Noughties: Avril Lavigne. Known for her hits such as Sk8er Boi and Complicated, she enjoyed huge success and still releases new material to this day. But is it Avril we're really listening to on the radio in the modern world? Or has she been replaced by a lookalike, or even a clone?
Where did the conspiracy come from?
A Brazilian blog is said to be the source of the conspiracy, and claimed that the Canadian-born Lavigne took her own life in 2003 following the death of her grandfather. Because of her popularity however, and the money she was making for her management and others behind-the-scenes, a lookalike or clone was brought in to keep the paparazzi busy, and to keep Lavigne's name in the headlines.
The lookalike was named as Melissa Vandella, and was said to have impersonated Lavigne even before her death, to pose for the paps, as Lavigne herself hated being photographed.
Is there any evidence?
Of course not, but there are interesting items offered up by followers of the conspiracy that are worth delving into. The claims that Lavigne's skin, jawline, and other aspects of her face have changed for example, are often backed up with pictures, as can be seen in the tweet below:
There are also those who say that Lavigne's handwriting has changed dramatically throughout the years, also posting pictures from the past with more recent offerings as 'proof':
Lavigne herself has publicly responded to the conspiracy theory, calling it "weird" and of course denying that she is a replacement for the original singer:
We're not entirely convinced Lavigne's been replaced, but let us know what you think!
NOTE: Conspiracies are theories often created with a lack of evidence. Each of our conspiracy reports are based on online research, but should never be taken as 100% fact.
NEXT TIME: Is Jay-Z a time-traveller, or a vampire?
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