An urban legend alleging that Paul McCartney of the British rock band The Beatles died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike and sound-alike.
It is often unclear whether proponents spread this story as a joke or as a real conspiracy theory. The rumour has been the topic of much sociological examination because its development, growth, and rebuttal took place very publicly, due to the Beatles’ enormous popularity and propensity for hidden messages and double meanings in their songs, as well as in their album titles and artwork.
Some have claimed that the rumour was a hoax perpetrated by The Beatles themselves, either as a joke or to stimulate record sales (the initial call placed to Russ Gibb coincided with the release of Abbey Road). This was denied numerous times by all four band members.
The rumours surrounding McCartney began in earnest on October 12, 1969, when someone telephoned Russ Gibb (a radio DJ on WKNR-FM in Dearborn, Michigan serving the Detroit market). Identifying himself as "Tom" (allegedly Tom Zarski of Eastern Michigan University), the caller announced that McCartney was dead. He also asked Gibb to play "Revolution 9" backwards. Gibb thought he heard "Turn me on, dead man."Gibb also produced (with John Small and Dan Carlisle) The Beatle Plot, an hour-long radio show on the rumour. The show aired on WKNR-FM in late 1969 and has been repeated in the years since on Detroit radio.
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