Avril is not Avril... or is she? A crazy theory about her rumored death

Avril Lavigne is about to release a new album encompassing the greatest hits of her career and is currently on a tour that will also see her perform in several countries.

However, according to more than a few proponents of a certain theory, the Canadian singer and musical icon supposedly died shortly after her rise to fame, in 2003.

Since then, an imposter has allegedly been taking her place. Why? To continue capitalizing on her lucrative image.

The big question is: where did this incredible theory originate? Like many other unbelievable theories, it found its birthplace on the internet. This conspiracy tale emerged in 2005, though it took six more years before it exploded into unexpected popularity.

Specifically, we have to go back to 2011 when someone created a blog titled "Is Avril dead?" which, obviously, aimed to develop a conspiracy theory that, believe it or not, has persisted to this day. Time flies when you're living in a different reality.

According to this blog, Avril Lavigne supposedly took her own life back in 2003. The unexpected global fame from her first album "Let Go" (summer of 2002), coupled with her parents' separation and, to add to the tragedy, the death of her grandfather (William John Loshaw), allegedly led her into a severe depression that, a year later, resulted in her death.

This is where the real fantasy begins Defenders of this alternate universe claim that Melissa Vandella, a young woman who closely resembles Avril Lavigne, was chosen by the record label to replace her, and has since filled her shoes.

In fact, this alternate version of reality argues that Melissa was initially hired to stand in for Avril Lavigne at certain events to ease the pressure from her sudden and overwhelming fame. Moreover, it's claimed that they were friends.

Since then, the goal of conspiracy theorists has been to uncover this alleged deception, offering "evidence" that, to put it kindly, could be described as rather childish.

For example, one of the most vehemently cited pieces of evidence is that the Avril Lavigne of 2003 looks nothing like the Avril Lavigne of 2011, the year the conspiracy theory took off.

Essentially, the Avril of 2003 was 19 years old, and by 2011, she had turned 27. Although we may hate to say it, the passage of time changes us both mentally and physically.

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And yet, it's not hard to find photos of Avril Lavigne in 2003 compared with photos of the artist... or her supposed replacement today, where, obviously, there are evident changes simply due to the years passing.

In this scenario, many fans of these theories also argue for a change in the artist's vocal range, tone, and voice over the years. Yep, that other natural change that comes with leaving your teen years.

Another noteworthy piece of "evidence" comes with the artist's second album, 'Under My Skin,' where the supposed second Avril Lavigne did a photo shoot with the word Melissa written on her hand. According to the theorists, it was all about connecting the dots: Melissa was under her skin, so she must be Melissa.

One of the most celebrated theories suggests that Melissa Vandella felt guilty about what happened and was leaving clues for her fans, like in the song 'Nobody's Home,' where they claim she confesses that The Real Avril Lavigne died alone at her parents' house.

And what does Avril Lavigne think about this conspiracy surrounding her? The singer has repeatedly denied being dead or someone else. Though, as you can imagine, that hasn't done much to sway the believers of a theory that is so big it even has its own Wikipedia entry.

The artist has explained that she withdrew from the stage and public life after contracting Lyme disease in 2014, a bacterial infection that caused her severe health problems. Despite this explanation, the conspiracy theorists stand firm in their beliefs.

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