The internet is the greatest source of information in human history, allowing billions to openly search and share their thoughts, ideas and learning.
Sounds great, but it also opens the door to some of the wildest conspiracy theories known to man, from Paul McCartney dying in 1966 to Elvis still busting his moves out there … somewhere.
This Avril Lavigne conspiracy is the tip of the iceberg but is easily one of the weirder beliefs out there.
The singer regularly topped the charts in the early 2000s with hits such as Complicated and Sk8er Boi, but according to this theory, the original Avril wasn’t behind most of the success.
The origins of this theory date way back to 2005 and it has regularly made the rounds on social media ever since, coming back again just in time for her 38th birthday today (September 27).
Here is everything you need to know about this bizarre Avril Lavigne conspiracy theory.
Who is Avril Lavigne?
For the uninitiated, Avril Lavigne was at the height of her fame back in 2002 when she released her debut album Let Go that year.
The Canadian-born singer became a household name overnight and one of the biggest superstars in music.
In 2004, she released Under My Skin, her second album, though it didn’t reach the heights of her first.
However, in 2007, The Best Damn Thing dropped and once again saw her rise to the top of the charts with singles such as When You’re Wrong and Girlfriend.
She has been married twice, to Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley and Nickelback's Chad Kroeger, though she split with them both in 2010 and 2015 respectively.
That year in 2015, Avril also confirmed she was suffering from Lyme’s Disease, forcing her to step away from the stage.
What do Avril Lavigne conspiracy theorists believe?
The year is 2005 and some Avril Lavigne fans start to question who they are actually listening to.
People started claiming online that the singer was overwhelmed and exhausted with her meteoric rise to fame at just 18 years old.
They theorised that her supposed friend Melissa Vandella was employed by Avril to pose in her place for the paparazzi.
The fans then falsely claimed that Avril “died” in 2003.
Instead of announcing the supposed death, her producers did the apparently rational thing and covered it up and continued releasing music with Melissa instead.
There are countless accounts online of people analysing pictures of Avril before and after 2003, with many believing her facial features are too different to be the same person.
Another cog in the conspiracy machine is her second album, Under My Skin, which is thought to be a subliminal message from Melissa, who is supposedly desperately trying to tell the world who she really is.
Fame often changes people, but this is a whole different level.
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