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For more than a decade, an odd rumor has swirled among some online about the fate of Canadian pop star Avril Lavigne. According to the unconventional theory spread on sites like blogs and social media, Lavigne met an untimely demise not long after rising to fame in the early 2000s. Her death, the rumor claims, was kept secret as part of an even stranger plot involving a body double.
However, that’s not the most bizarre part. The story asserts Lavigne was covertly swapped with a lookalike performer named Melissa Vandella. Enthusiasts of the singer claim Vandella was originally hired to stand in for Lavigne during publicity events, before eventually assuming a full-time role recording songs and impersonating the purportedly deceased artist.
To bolster their suspicions, theorists point to minor variances in Lavigne’s appearance and style preferences over the years as proof of a doppelganger swap. They’ve also interpreted lyrics from tracks like “Nobody’s Home” as coded hints about Lavigne’s alleged depression and demise.
Recently, Lavigne addressed the peculiar rumors herself in an interview, laughing off the clone conspiracy as “so dumb.” While finding humor in the far-fetched story, she indicated there could certainly be worse things uttered about her.
It’s thought the rumor first surfaced from a 2011 blog post from Brazil that scrutinized supposed clues in Lavigne’s life and work. It gained widespread attention in 2015 when Buzzfeed highlighted the claims, prompting coverage from other outlets. The conspiracy periodically resurfaces online through threads analyzing Lavigne’s every action for signs of an impersonator.
