The Bizarre “Paul Is Dead” Conspiracy Theory That Alleged The Beatles Secretly Replaced Paul McCartney

One of the oddest conspiracies in all of music and arguably, the world, is the “Paul is Dead” theory. Given the ridiculousness of the claim, the “facts” have been entirely lost due to the perpetuation of disinformation. However, one fact that has remained true from the start is the origin of the theory. Which came to light when Paul McCartney was pronounced dead in 1969 after a car crash in 1966.

This day marks the mass launching of the false claims about McCartney’s death and the start of a conspiracy that still gains massive amounts of attention to this day. In 1969, publications in the States and the UK ran the story and sent the world into shock. Shortly after, the claims came out as false and the world sank back into ease. But, to this day some people still have their conspiracies when it comes to the “original” McCartney.

Paul McCartney’s 1966 Car Accident

The inspiration for this theory comes from a car accident in Scotland in 1966, in which McCartney allegedly died. Following the accident, people believed that The Beatles replaced McCartney with a doppelganger to prevent an outbreak from fans across the world. It was confirmed that McCartney was not in the accident and that he and his girlfriend had actually been on vacation in Kenya.

McCartney’s alleged 1966 accident is what spearheaded the “Paul is Dead” theory, as the theory came into circulation later that year. However, it was three years later in 1969 when the theory truly started to circulate and gain attention from the masses. And it was all thanks to one source—The Drake Times-Delphic.

Tim Harper & The Drake Student Newspaper

It’s hard to believe that a theory of this magnitude started at a small university in Iowa. Tim Harper, a Drake student, published an article titled  “Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?” on September 17, 1969. Points made in the article regarded subliminal messages in The Beatles’ lyrics and on their cover art.

Harper’s article created all-out pandamonium, and people across the globe started to believe the theory. Matter of fact, it became so popular that Beatles press officer, Derek Taylor commented on the matter by stating, “Recently we’ve been getting a flood of inquiries asking about reports that Paul is dead,” and that “in the past few weeks we’ve been getting them at the office and home night and day,” per The Paul McCartney Project.

Crazy to believe that this monumental conspiracy theory started at the hands of a music-loving college student. Although, these types of theories typically start in this fashion, so it’s not too off the wall to see. Nonetheless, the “Paul Is Dead” theory is a crucial example of how bad disinformation can be. So in addition to this article confirming that McCartney is not dead, it also hopefully told you to keep your wits close when reading certain things.

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