Conspiracy theorists have long claimed that famous figures have died and been replaced by lookalikes. Even Donald Trump has shared a social media claim that Joe Biden is a clone. The US President last year reposted an unsubstantiated theory that his predecessor died in 2020 and that a lookalike served in the White House in his place.
Here are some of the most notable doppelganger stories involving the famous, and our verdict on the likelihood of each claim.
Beatles and Avril Lavigne
The cover of the 1969 Beatles album Abbey Road is said to contain clues that Paul McCartney was dead by the time it came out. He is the only one barefoot, is out of step with the other band members, and the VW Beetle's numberplate reads "28 IF", which some say echoes how old he would have been (though he would actually have been 27). These signs are cited by those who believe the singer was killed in a 1966 car crash. The unfounded rumours began on US college campuses and radio stations. McCartney parodied them with the title of his 1993 album Paul Is Live and says of the theory: "People may have taken too many drugs?" Verdict: MYTH
In 2011, a conspiracy theory emerged on a Brazilian fan site that Canadian pop singer Avril Lavigne had hired a body double called Melissa Vandella to take her place. According to the notion, Melissa became a permanent fill-in when Lavigne "died" in 2003. Supposed evidence includes changes in her appearance, subliminal messaging on an album, and the fact she once had "Melissa" written on her hand. The 40-year-old has since responded: "Obviously I am me, it's so dumb." Verdict: MYTH
Political Figures and Dictators
Rumours that doubles have been standing in for Melania Trump resurfaced when the couple attended the funeral of Pope Francis last year, with believers thinking the black veil she wore was "convenient". In 2017, speculation about a Melania body double went viral, citing supposed differences in her facial features and body dimensions. There have even been claims that she's a "Russian robot". Trump has branded the lookalike idea as "fake news", and body language experts appear to agree. Verdict: MYTH
It was said that former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein used up to 10 body doubles to stand in for him at public appearances. In 2002, German pathologist Dr Dieter Buhmann identified at least three lookalikes being used by the despot, who later denied using them. A man called Latif Yahia has also claimed to have been a body double for Saddam's son Uday. Verdict: POSSIBLY
In March last year, there were claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin, 72, had sent a double to the Kursk region as the war raged. Critics said that in footage the figure, dressed in military uniform, appeared strangely slimmer and, as one expert said, "less Botoxed" than usual. Other evidence for stand-ins being used by the ex-KGB officer include differences in his earlobes, chin and wrinkles. In 2024, there were allegations that a carpenter from Belarus was doubling as Putin and had become ill after an assassination attempt. Verdict: PROBABLY!
In 2008, an 88-year-old man called Felix claimed that he had been recruited by the KGB to work as a lookalike for Joseph Stalin, who died in 1953. He claimed to have been one of four doubles to stand in for the leader to outwit assassins. The dancer, from Dagestan, said: "By the time my make-up and training were complete, I was like him in every way, except perhaps my ears. They were too small."
Kim Jong Un and World War Two
A few years ago, rumours began circulating that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un was using a body double because he was secretly sick. He seemed to have lost a suspicious amount of weight in public. But in 2021, South Korea's National Intelligence Service quashed the speculation, saying that the leader appeared to have naturally lost about 44lbs and that he didn't have any serious medical conditions. Verdict: MYTH
During World War Two, MI5 recruited actor ME Clifton James, who was the spitting image of General Bernard Montgomery. Monty was set to be commander of the ground forces in the D-Day landings of 1944. In the run-up to the operation, Clifton James publicly toured the Mediterranean as Monty. Spies reported this to Adolf Hitler, and it's believed to have helped fool the Nazi leader into thinking the attack wouldn't take place in the English Channel. ME Clifton starred as himself in the 1958 movie I Was Monty's Double. Verdict: HIT
