Internet users have been spreading a false conspiracy theory for over a decade claiming that singer Avril Lavigne had died and been replaced by a lookalike actress named Melissa Vandella shortly after her rise to fame in the early 2000s, a theory that Lavigne recently laughed off in an interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast. The theory suggests that Lavigne died by suicide due to the pressures of fame and the death of her grandfather, with Vandella stepping in to take her place in paparazzi pictures and even recording music for her. Fans have scrutinized Lavigne’s appearance, style choices, lyrics, and even her hand-writing to support this theory.
The theory started with a blog post by a Brazilian fan in 2011 titled “Avril Está Morta,” which translates to “Avril is Dead.” The post included various pieces of “evidence” such as song lyric analyses and close examinations of Lavigne’s appearance. The theory gained traction in 2015 when Buzzfeed posted a tweet thread about it, leading to articles in outlets like Paper Magazine and Vice. The conspiracy has resurfaced on social media periodically, with one thread on X in 2017 going viral and receiving over 140,000 retweets. Most recently, Irish comedian Joanne McNally discussed the theory in a BBC Sounds podcast titled “Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?”
This conspiracy theory is not the first of its kind, as other celebrities like Paul McCartney have also been subjected to death hoaxes. In the 1960s, there was a rumor that McCartney died and was replaced in The Beatles, fueled by various misinterpretations of lyrics and reverse-played songs. The Beatles had to repeatedly address these rumors, with Life Magazine even publishing a cover story confirming that McCartney was indeed alive. While death hoaxes are not uncommon in the world of celebrities, conspiracy theories about clones replacing them are less prevalent, making the Avril Lavigne theory stand out.
Avril Lavigne’s response to the conspiracy theory, dismissing it as “dumb” in the Call Her Daddy podcast, has caused a resurgence in jokes and discussions about the theory on social media, particularly on TikTok. Users have continued to playfully reference Melissa Vandella in the comments section, with one popular comment joking that Lavigne’s denial sounds like something Vandella would say. Despite Lavigne’s clear denial of the theory, internet users seem to enjoy keeping the conspiracy alive through humor and speculation, highlighting the lasting impact of this bizarre theory on pop culture.
For further reading on the Avril Lavigne death hoax that refuses to die, Rolling Stone and the BBC have covered the topic extensively. The return of the conspiracy theory in 2021, as discussed by Joanne McNally in her podcast, adds another layer to the ongoing fascination with this odd internet phenomenon. The Avril Lavigne clone conspiracy may continue to resurface in various forms, serving as a reminder of the strange and sometimes amusing ways in which celebrity rumors can capture the public’s imagination and linger in popular culture for years to come.
