AVRIL Lavigne has addressed rampant rumors that she died in 2003 and was replaced by a body double lookalike.
The punk artist sparked speculation of an unprecedented disappearing act nearly 25 years ago.
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But Avril, 39, has shared her thoughts on the viral conspiracy theory that she died in 2003 after the release of her debut album Let Go.
While appearing on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, the singer slammed the idea and the rumor that she was replaced by a body double named Melissa Vandella.
“It’s just funny to me. On one end, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, my God, you look the exact same. You haven’t aged a day,'” she said on Wednesday.
“But then, other people are like, you know, there’s a conspiracy theory that I’m not me.”
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Both Avril and podcast host Alex Cooper broke into laughter over the subject.
“Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right?” the songwriter continued.
“I feel like I got a good one. I don’t think it’s, like, negative or anything, like, creepy.”
Avril confessed that the speculation “could be worse”, closing the topic by assuring fans, “Obviously, I am me, it’s so dumb.”
CONSPIRACY THEORY
The conspiracy theory of the rockstar’s death seemingly originated back in the early 2000s online forums.
The rumors were ignited again in 2017 when a thread on X, formerly Twitter, broke down all the supposed clues that she was superseded.
The fan-collected evidence included Avril’s changing looks over the last two decades.
Another clue came from the viral 2004 photoshoot for her Under My Skin album, in which the name “Melissa” was seemingly written on her hand.
AVRIL’S OPINION
Over the years, the Complicated singer has addressed the rumors many times.
She first discussed the topic in a 2014 interview on a Brazilian TV show, in which she confessed that she had never heard about the theory before.
“Well, I’m here, and I’m here in Brazil,” she told viewers at the time.
Avril continued to brush off all rumors over the next several years until she finally questioned the conspiracy theory in a conversation with Galore Magazine in 2022.
“Doesn’t everyone constantly say that I literally look the same as I always have?” she asked.
“It’s funny because everyone says I look the same, but then there’s that. That doesn’t make any sense. Also, how random?
“When people bring it up — and it’s been brought up to me for, like, years — that there’s this conspiracy theory that I’m not me or something?
“I’m a clone? … I don’t know, it’s just the weirdest rumor,” she admitted.
PUNK POP PRINCESS
Avril broke onto the pop scene in the early 2000s, influencing the music scene at the time with her angsty punk flair.
In 2006 during the height of her career, she married Deryck Jason Whibley, the lead vocalist of the rock band Sum 41.
The couple divorced in 2010, and three years later, the singer said “I do” to Nickelback star Chad Robert Kroeger.
But their romance was also short-lived, and they filed for divorce in 2015.
Then, in 2021, Avril met rocker Mod Sun, who popped the question a year later in Paris.
But the pair decided to end their relationship in 2023.
Obviously, I am me, it’s so dumb.
Avril Lavigne
TYGA TANGLE
In February of that year and right after her called-off engagement, Avril was rumored to be dating rapper Tyga when they were spotted eating dinner at Nobu in Los Angeles.
The speculation was confirmed when the couple was photographed kissing during a Paris Fashion Week event, Page Six originally reported.
But in June, the news broke that the pair had decided to call it quits.
An insider shared that the breakup was a mutual decision and that they planned to remain friends, saying their romance “ran its course.”
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