These celebrity conspiracy theories are insane. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most fascinating conspiracy theories that have been put forth about the deaths of famous celebrities - even if they are, in fact, alive.
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00:00Now Bob is fully aware his life is in danger, so much so that he hires a security detail
00:05to guard his home 24-7.
00:07Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Celeb Death
00:13Conspiracy Theories.
00:20For this list, we'll be looking at the most fascinating conspiracy theories that have
00:24been put forth about the deaths of famous celebrities, even if they are, in fact, still
00:30alive.
00:31Do you believe any of these?
00:32Let us know in the comments.
00:36Number 20.
00:37John Lennon.
00:38The world stopped and grieved on the night of December 8, 1980, when it learned that
00:43John Lennon had died.
00:50After returning home following a recording session, Lennon was infamously shot in the
00:55back by Mark David Chapman.
00:58It's a pretty clear-cut and readily accepted story.
01:01Regardless, it has resulted in a few conspiracy theories.
01:05Some believe that Chapman was a patsy, used and brainwashed by the CIA, which wished to
01:11assassinate Lennon due to his outspoken left-wing ideals.
01:15Chapman started talking about a little person inside of him and a big person inside of him.
01:22The big person has been winning the battle up to now, but tonight the little person won.
01:27Others think Chapman is totally innocent, including author Salvador Estruchia, who argues
01:32that forensic evidence absolves Chapman of the crime.
01:36In any case, Lennon won't be the only Beatle on this list.
01:40The statements he made, the music he made, you know, it's going around the world.
01:44Number 19.
01:46Sam Cooke
01:47Often called the King of Soul, Sam Cooke was popular in the late 50s and early 60s.
01:52But on December 11th, 1964, Cooke was shot and killed by a motel manager.
01:58Sam Cooke, one of the most talented singers and music producers of his generation, is
02:03shot in a shabby motel.
02:06Allegedly, Cooke took a woman named Elisa Boyer to the motel and assaulted her.
02:11She then escaped, and Cooke violently confronted the motel manager, who shot Cooke in self-defense.
02:17Cooke's family and friends reject this version of events, however, and have put forth various
02:22theories.
02:23He was not a violent guy, he never, I never saw him get angry.
02:28Some believe that Cooke was violently attacked by several people, with singer Etta James
02:33stating that his body had suffered horrific, unexplained injuries.
02:37Others claimed that Cooke's manager, Alan Klein, might have even had him killed.
02:42So far, neither of these theories have been corroborated.
02:46This was really troubling to the black community.
02:48Did he really make a silly mistake, wrong place, the wrong time, in a seedy motel?
02:55Was he set up?
02:56I don't know.
02:58Number 18.
02:59Bobby Fuller
03:00This rock singer found top ten success with a cover of the Crickets' I Fought The Law.
03:05The single was released in late 1965.
03:08They were four country boys from El Paso, but everyone knew it was Bobby's band.
03:13He was the star.
03:15On the following July 18th, Fuller was found dead inside a parked car, and the medical
03:20examiner tentatively blamed gasoline vapors for his death.
03:24Fuller's death is officially labeled a fatal accident.
03:30However, various far-reaching conspiracy theories have been put forward by people who don't
03:36buy it.
03:37Fuller's bandmate, Jim Reese, believed that Charles Manson had something to do with it
03:42despite being in prison at the time, and others suspect that Fuller was killed due to personal
03:47connections with the Mafia.
03:49It's likely that we'll never know.
03:50We want to know who did it and why.
03:54Number 17.
03:55Avril Lavigne
03:57Let's just clarify that Avril Lavigne is not dead.
04:00The 2000s pop icon is alive and thriving, but not according to some.
04:05A few fans are adamant that the Avril Lavigne we see today is actually a woman named Melissa
04:10Vandella.
04:11The conspiracy goes like this, that Avril died and was replaced by an Avril lookalike.
04:19According to the conspiracy, the real Lavigne passed away after the release of her debut
04:23album Let Go.
04:24But the record company didn't want to stop the gravy train, so she was replaced with
04:29a body double to fool the public and continue her musical legacy.
04:33The main evidence surrounding the conspiracy is Lavigne's changing physical appearance,
04:38supposed subliminal messages in later songs, and the word Melissa written on her hand in
04:43a photo shoot.
04:45As expected, Lavigne has continuously denied the conspiracy.
04:49Yeah, some people think that I'm not the real me, which is so weird.
04:52Like why would they even think that?
04:54Number 16.
04:55Tupac Shakur
04:57On September 7, 1996, hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur was shot in a Las Vegas drive-by.
05:04He died six days later.
05:10Two Crips gang members were named in an affidavit, including Dwayne Davis, who later said that
05:15his nephew Orlando Anderson was the shooter.
05:18However, countless conspiracy theories exist in regards to Tupac's death and even survival.
05:25Some believe that the shooting was ordered by either music executive Suge Knight or the
05:29notorious B.I.G.
05:30Things eventually went south in the middle of the decade when the two rappers got embroiled
05:34in an epic East Coast-West Coast rap rivalry.
05:38Others believe that Tupac is actually alive and faked his death and moved to Cuba.
05:43And as is often the case with conspiracy theories, some believe that the CIA is involved.
05:48Regardless, Tupac's death may forever remain contentious.
05:59Number 15.
06:00Steve Jobs
06:01The famous co-founder and CEO of Apple passed away on October 5, 2011 from pancreatic cancer.
06:08He was only 56 years old.
06:19Nearly eight years after his death, a photo began spreading around the internet that had
06:23everyone convinced of his continued survival.
06:26The photo shows a balding, gray-haired man sitting in a plastic chair outside, and the
06:31man admittedly bears a striking resemblance to the late Jobs.
06:35The sneaky photo was reportedly taken in Egypt, leading many to believe, whether seriously
06:40or not, that Jobs is alive and well.
06:44Unfortunately, this is simply a case of one man looking a lot like another.
06:53Number 14.
06:54Michael Jackson
06:55The world lost music's biggest icon on June 25, 2009 when the king of pop died of cardiac
07:01arrest in his L.A. mansion.
07:11His personal physician, Conrad Murray, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter as he
07:16had incorrectly administered various drugs to help Jackson sleep.
07:21Murray spent two years in prison, but many people, including Jackson's own daughter,
07:26believe that there's more to the story.
07:28Paris Jackson claims that her father's death was, quote, a set-up, orchestrated by people,
07:33quote, out to get him.
07:36However, she's declined to explain who the people are.
07:42Jackson's old advisor, Leonard Rowe, told Radar Online that Jackson was assassinated
07:48for his music catalog, worth approximately $1 billion.
07:52Number 13.
07:53Paul McCartney
07:55Sir Paul McCartney is one of the two surviving members of the Beatles, but according to one
07:59prominent urban legend that sprung up in the 1960s, McCartney actually died long before
08:05his late bandmates.
08:12Proponents claimed that McCartney perished in a car crash shortly after the album release
08:17of Revolver.
08:18Not wanting to upset the public, McCartney was quickly replaced with a lookalike.
08:22Authorities scouring the Beatles' work have also found so-called subliminal messages in
08:27their songs and album covers.
08:36The Beatles' press office was quite vocal in its defense, calling the legend, quote,
08:40a load of old rubbish and referring to its believers as, quote, nuts.
08:45The rumor was put to bed after a very much alive McCartney was featured in Life magazine
08:50in November 1969.
08:58Number 12.
08:59Bob Marley
09:00The death of this reggae legend was hard to accept.
09:10In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with an aggressive skin cancer under his toenail,
09:16which within three years, spread to the rest of his body, leading to his death at just
09:2036.
09:22Fans could not accept the explanation, and the conspiracy led to where they seemingly
09:26always lead, the CIA.
09:39The story goes that a CIA agent named Bill Oxley infected Marley with cancer through
09:44a pair of Converse sneakers.
09:46He reportedly did so because the CIA didn't want Marley starting a revolution.
09:51Despite the story not making a ton of sense, it nevertheless received traction, and in
09:562018, was shared by the likes of T.I. and Busta Rhymes.
10:07Number 11.
10:08Andy Kaufman
10:15In life, this quirky comedian often enjoyed pulling fast ones on, well, everybody.
10:20So when Andy Kaufman permanently disappeared in 1984, supposedly due to lung cancer, the
10:26world refused to believe the official account of his death.
10:29Andy's last girlfriend and his own brother seemed to have conflicting stories.
10:34But whatever you believe about Kaufman's death, no one can deny that a decades-long
10:38hoax would have been so Andy.
10:49He allegedly even said that if he were to fake his death, he would return 20 years later,
10:54which would have been in 2004.
10:57Who knows, maybe he's just enjoying some R&R in Albuquerque.
11:05Number 10.
11:06JonBenet Ramsey
11:08What happened to this American child beauty queen shocked the nation in 1996, and continues
11:13to fuel debate and conspiracy.
11:21The case remains unsolved, which certainly does not help.
11:25And while some conspiracies are more grounded and based in reality, others are a little
11:29more out there, and let's face it, a little disrespectful.
11:33One theory claims that Ramsey didn't actually die, and grew up to become Katy Perry.
11:44This theory was given further prominence in 2017, when Billy Eichner confronted Perry
11:49about it at the VMAs for a Billy on the Street segment.
11:52It's a bizarre theory, and a quick Google search shows that the timelines don't even
11:56add up, as Perry was twice Ramsey's age at the time of her death.
12:05Number 9.
12:06Jimmy Hoffa
12:13While the average person may not know what this man actually did for a living, many have
12:17thought his body was buried under Giants Stadium.
12:20As the leader of the Teamsters union, Jimmy Hoffa was known to anger a few people, and
12:25according to legend, the mob took care of the problem.
12:28Who exactly?
12:29Well, it's become quite popular to claim responsibility for the hit.
12:44It's an awfully trendy deathbed confession among mobsters.
12:47And if you believe notorious hitman Richard Kuklinski, he's the man responsible for
12:52Hoffa's earthly departure.
12:54Can we just all agree that Jimmy Hoffa could only have been killed once?
13:01Number 8.
13:02Jim Morrison
13:10If you were around in the late 60s and had the opportunity to hang with the lead singer
13:14of The Doors, he probably seemed more like a regular dude than somewhat of a mythical
13:18unicorn figure.
13:19But a shady death always leads to conspiracy theories, especially when the person in question
13:30supposedly died in a Parisian bathtub.
13:33Although the cause of death was stated as heart failure, no autopsy was ever performed,
13:37causing some to think that Jim faked his own death and others to claim that he overdosed
13:42in the bathroom of a nightclub.
13:43Well, the 70s were definitely a bit hazy for some, and conspiracy theorists continue to
13:48search for clarity.
13:50Number 7.
13:55George Reeves
13:56Here's what we know for sure.
14:04TV's Superman died from a gunshot to the head in June 1959, which ended his reign as
14:10the Man of Steel.
14:11But from there, things get extremely blurry, in part thanks to the extreme inebriation
14:16of the guests at his house that night.
14:22While they claimed to have heard one gunshot, three bullets had been fired from the gun.
14:26Police believed he took his own life, but some have theorized that MGM Vice President
14:31Eddie Mannix or his wife Toni Mannix were involved, since Reeves and Toni had had an
14:36affair.
14:45Others suggest that Reeves' fiancée, Leonore Lemon, shot him accidentally.
14:50In the end, of course, it is all speculation.
15:00Number 6.
15:01Princess Diana
15:11Months before the Princess of Wales was killed in a 1997 car crash along with boyfriend Dodi
15:16Fayed, she allegedly wrote a telling letter, worried that someone might tamper with her
15:21brakes.
15:22Well, we all know what happened, as Princess Diana's death inadvertently ushered in the
15:26age of internet speculation.
15:28One theory, according to claims by Dodi's father, Mohamed El Fayed, is that the MI6
15:33and CIA were involved, with the potential motive for murder being that Diana may have
15:38been pregnant with Dodi's child, and that the two were going to get engaged.
15:51The paparazzi photographer who was following Diana before her death, James Anvalson, took
15:57his own life shortly after conspiracy theories arose, just one of many oddities about a seemingly
16:02straightforward matter.
16:15Number 5.
16:16Kurt Cobain
16:24As the lead singer of Nirvana and husband to Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain earned plenty
16:29of headlines in the early 90s, and deservedly so.
16:32But it was Cobain's 1994 death that sparked a larger discussion about his personal life.
16:45At the time, his decision to take his own life wasn't a complete shock, at least considering
16:50the media portrayal of Cobain.
16:52But as new details emerge, theories continue to arise in search of the truth.
16:59For example, take the 2015 documentary Soaked in Bleach, which focused primarily on the
17:04details of his death.
17:05Did someone assist in Cobain's death?
17:08And was it possible for Kurt to even pull the trigger given his physical state at the
17:12time?
17:13We may never know.
17:26Number 4.
17:27Natalie Wood
17:32From child stardom to massive success as an adult, this late icon never failed to impress.
17:37But with fame comes insecurities, and Natalie Wood had a lifelong fear of drowning, which
17:43her 1981 death even more suspicious.
17:54After a night out with husband Robert Wagner and actor Christopher Walken, the actress
17:58inexplicably wound up in the waters off Santa Catalina Island, dead at the age of 43.
18:04With reportedly plenty of drinking and arguing going on that night, one could be led to believe
18:08that Natalie fell off the boat, but many think her husband may have forcibly removed
18:13her from the situation.
18:20The captain seems to know what happened, but it's likely only Wagner and Walken know
18:25the truth.
18:26Well, allegedly, that is.
18:40Number 3.
18:41Elvis Presley
18:47In August 1977, the king of rock and roll was found dead in his bathroom.
18:52Today, he continues to live on through his music, although some take this more literally.
18:57In fact, some theorize that he faked his death and that he's actually still alive, as over
19:01the years, there have been countless claimed Elvis sightings.
19:10A few people even claim he was an alien and just went home.
19:14We may never actually know what went down at Graceland, but Elvis did have a few health
19:19issues, most notably an enlarged heart.
19:21And as you can imagine, prescription drug abuse likely didn't help the old ticker.
19:25Even so, the king lives on through conspiracy theories, and all those special people who
19:30understand what's really going on.
19:48Number 2.
19:49Marilyn Monroe
20:02Just a few months after her famous birthday salute to JFK, an American icon consumed a
20:07lethal amount of barbiturates and called it quits.
20:10At least, that's one possibility.
20:12On the surface, it seems that Marilyn Monroe was severely depressed and took her own life.
20:19However, some think her overdose was accidental.
20:24While others believe she may have actually been murdered that evening in Brentwood, due
20:28to the fact that she ran with an interesting crowd of politicians, mobsters, and some real
20:33powerful individuals.
20:40Was it Norma Jean herself or someone with a motive and opportunity?
20:44Although no evidence of foul play was found in the investigation, the theories surrounding
20:48her death continue.
21:11Number 1.
21:12John F. Kennedy
21:13Well, here's what we do know.
21:21Marilyn Monroe did not kill JFK.
21:24And maybe, just maybe, neither did Lee Harvey Oswald.
21:32In 1963, the extremely public death of John F. Kennedy altered the course of history,
21:38and subsequently inspired decades upon decades of conspiracy theories.
21:48But someone pulled the trigger on not only the gun, but also on a massive cover-up.
21:53Given all the documentaries and books written about the ordeal, one could go mad just thinking
21:58about all the possibilities.
22:09Was it the CIA?
22:10The Soviets?
22:11The New Orleans Contingent?
22:13The list of possibilities is endless, but when you look at the facts, is it really possible
22:17that Lee Harvey Oswald, a lone gunman, executed the perfect crime?
22:22Or were there larger forces at work?
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