Cinema's most important awards ceremony is also stage to beautiful moments between couples
Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas on September 7, 1996, and died six days later. Two rival gang members were named as the shooters, but there have long been theories that the rapper is still alive somewhere.
Not wanting to upset the public or disrupt the band's meteoric success, McCartney was supposedly replaced with a lookalike. Proponents also claim that subliminal messages can be found in the song lyrics and album covers released after the fake McCartney took over.
The Apple founder passed away in 2011 after battling pancreatic cancer, shocking fans and colleagues who hadn’t known about his diagnosis. Since then, there have been frequent frenzies around Steve Jobs lookalikes. It’s true that a few photos have circulated of men that bear an uncanny resemblance to Jobs.
Michael Jackson died suddenly of an overdose on prescription medications in 2009, shocking the world. His private doctor administered the deadly dose and was charged with manslaughter in a landmark trial.
Princess Diana was perhaps the most famous woman in the world when she died prematurely in 1997. She died in a car accident in Paris along with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. Rumors circulated their deaths were actually orchestrated by the British royal family due to their disintegrating relationship with the People’s Princess.
The conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy are perhaps the most famous. JFK was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade through Dallas in 1963. A man named Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the murder, but was shot by a devastated Kennedy supporter while being transported by police.
The King passed away from heart disease in 1977 at the young age of 42. His father ordered that the results of his autopsy be sealed for 50 years for privacy, meaning they will finally be made public in 2027. A couple of different theories about the icon’s death have persisted, however, the most absurd being that he was abducted by aliens! Ray Stevens released the song ‘I Saw Elvis in a UFO’ in 1994 to poke fun at those who believed the outlandish theory.
Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain took his own life in 1994, at the age of 27. He was known to struggle with mental illness and addiction and was reportedly high when he died. But many believed that Cobain’s death was even more complicated, and may have involved his wife, Courtney Love. The 2015 documentary ‘Soaked in Bleach’ claims that Love had Cobain murdered because their marriage was on the rocks.
There are also theories that Monroe was killed for knowing too much about the alleged criminal underbelly of the Kennedy family, perhaps by their enemies in the Chicago mob.
Rock and roll pioneer Buddy Holly was tragically killed in a plane crash at the age of 22. The musicians Ritchie Valens and JP “The Big Bopper” Richardson were also killed in the accident, and that terrible day on February 3, 1959 was dubbed “The Day the Music Died.”
Brian Jones was one of the founding members of the Rolling Stones, but was kicked out of the band in 1969 due to instability and rampant substance abuse. A few months later, Jones died at the age of 27, reportedly by drowning in his own swimming pool while drunk and high.
The theory was bolstered when Melania Trump didn’t appear in public for five weeks in 2018 and the White House refused to comment on her absence. She was reportedly undergoing a minor medical procedure, but that excuse didn’t satisfy the conspiracy theorists. The fact that her level of affection toward her husband in public varies greatly is also seen as a sign that it’s not the real Melania.
Sources: (WatchMojo) (Listverse)
See more: Weird and wonderful celeb superstitions
Theorists claim that Diana and Fayed were engaged and that she was pregnant with his child, essentially bringing a Muslim into the royal family due to her role as the mother of the future king (Prince William), something the royals allegedly wanted to avoid at all costs. Fayed’s father, Mohamed Al-Fayed, has perpetuated this theory for many years.
There have been multiple theories about the nature of Jones’ death. One stated that he got into an argument over money with a builder working on his house, who subsequently murdered him. Some even believe that his former bandmates arranged his death.
Mary J. Blige made some strange comments in an interview with The Guardian a few years later, suggesting that Aaliyah’s death wasn’t an accident. She claimed that “they” were coming for her next: “I don’t know how or when, but I’m next. I don’t know what kind of freak accident they’re going to put me in, or what kind of overdose they’re going to sort out, but at the end of the day, I knew I was next.” That was in 2005 and Blige is still going strong.
He was in a well-known rivalry with the Notorious B.I.G., who some say ordered his murder, while others believe he faked his own death and moved to Cuba. As recently as 2022, conspiracy theorists have raised the possibility again, noting that there are more and more high-quality photos of the rapper that were supposedly taken before his death in 1996, but they argue that it was impossible to take such crisp photos at the time.
Paul McCartney is one of two surviving members of the Beatles, but there’s a conspiracy theory that claims he actually died long before his bandmates. Theorists believe that McCartney died in a car accident in 1966, shortly after the album ‘Revolver’ was released.
Many struggle to believe that Oswald managed to pull off the perfect crime in spite of the intense security measures and police presence in Dallas that day. Any president is a target for assassination, and Kennedy was particularly divisive. Some say that Oswald wasn’t acting alone, while others believe it was the work of the CIA, the Soviets, or even extra terrestrials.
A second theory is that Presley was working as a secretagent for the FBI. Those who believe this one claim that he had to be put into witness protection. That theory was somewhat squashed when the FBI released 750 reports they had on the singer, and none of them mentioned any spy activities!
Marilyn Monroe died of an overdose on August 4, 1962. The 36-year-old was known to be struggling with depression and substance abuse. However, her sudden death came just a few months after her infamous birthday tribute to President John F. Kennedy. Rumors that the two were having an affair are well known, and some theorize that her death was arranged to prevent any embarrassment for the powerful Kennedy family.
The timing of his death and the scandal that surrounded the King of Pop during his life led to many conspiracy theories. Some say that he was murdered, a theory supported by his daughter Paris who commented that “a lot of people” wanted him dead in 2017 and suggested she was looking for justice, although she hasn’t mentioned this since.
Other theories claim that Jackson faked his own death because he was half a billion dollars in debt and wanted to escape his financial woes. Some even say that Jackson is actually living as the conceptual artist Dave Dave, whom he was friends with early in his career.
Celebrities take up so much space in the world that a cavernous gap is left behind when they die. The natural response from the public is an attempt to fill that gap with stories to make sense of it. Accidental overdoses, sudden heart attacks, and random plane crashes just don't seem like fitting ends to such impactful lives. Instead, some prefer to believe that there are mysterious forces at play behind the scenes.
That being said, death conspiracies can also pop up about famous figures who are still alive! The bodyswap is a particularly popular theme and usually purports that the real celebrity has died and been replaced with a lookalike.
Intrigued by all this? Then click through this gallery to learn about the most shocking and bizarre death conspiracies surrounding the biggest celebrities.
Famous celebrity death conspiracy theories
From FBI cover-ups to alien abductions
CELEBRITY Conspiracies
Celebrities take up so much space in the world that a cavernous gap is left behind when they die. The natural response from the public is an attempt to fill that gap with stories to make sense of it. Accidental overdoses, sudden heart attacks, and random plane crashes just don't seem like fitting ends to such impactful lives. Instead, some prefer to believe that there are mysterious forces at play behind the scenes.
That being said, death conspiracies can also pop up about famous figures who are still alive! The bodyswap is a particularly popular theme and usually purports that the real celebrity has died and been replaced with a lookalike.
Intrigued by all this? Then click through this gallery to learn about the most shocking and bizarre death conspiracies surrounding the biggest celebrities.