This Theory That Avril Lavigne Was Replaced by a Doppelgänger Is Going Viral

Avril Lavigne might not be who she says she is. That is, if one of the Internet's most elaborate conspiracy theories from 2015 is to be believed.

A theory that the pop-punk princess was replaced by a look-alike named Melissa Vandella has resurfaced this week, because, Internet. But where exactly did it all come from?

Rewind back to 2015, when Buzzfeed's Ryan Broderick brought to light a Brazilian Blogspot called Avril Is Dead. The blog posits that after rising to fame in the early 2000s, Avril was overwhelmed and then bereft after the loss of her grandfather. She then died by suicide right after the release of her first album, Let Go. However, due to the commercial success of her debut, she was replaced by an actress who was effectively her doppelgänger.

The theory has some intense adherents, as showcased by the Avril Is Dead blog, which outlines differences between Avril and Melissa, namely the radical transformation she suddenly underwent in the mid-2000s. The differences between her first album — which included hits like "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" — stand in stark contrast to the music she created thereafter, including everything from 2007's "Girlfriend" to 2014's "Hello Kitty."

Other fans chimed in, noting mysteriously missing moles and freckles, as well as a particularly eerie promotional photo shoot in which Avril has the name Melissa written on her hand.

There was also a video making the rounds — before it was blocked because of copyright infringements — in which Avril was asked directly whether or not the rumors were true. Gawker did a behavioral analysis of Avril in the video and concluded that she exhibited a host of behaviors typical of someone who is lying, before very awkwardly concluding by saying: "Well, I'm here. I'm here in Brazil."

If you want to dig into all of the reasons why this is, the Internet is basically a bevy of information right now, but as The Guardian pointed out, citing similar Internet conspiracies for stars like Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney, these types of theories aren't uncommon for celebs to deal with.

Obviously though this theory is totally bonkers and the premise of it alone is pretty problematic, seeing as how it's based on the assumption that Avril Lavigne died by suicide years ago after the death of her grandfather and because she felt "overwhelmed." It's a premise that assumes a lot about Avril's mental health based on, well, basically nothing, and that is problematic because we should never assume anything about anyone's mental health. That said, just take this for what it is: a bizarre conspiracy theory that has no grounding in reality.

Related: Avril Lavigne's Beauty Essentials

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