Wild Avril Lavigne Doppelganger Theory That Just Won’t Die

Every few years, the internet dusts off one of its favorite weird pop culture rabbit holes: Did Avril Lavigne die in the early 2000s and get replaced by a doppelgänger named Melissa? Yes, we’re talking about that Avril. The queen of early-2000s pop-punk anthems like “Sk8er Boi” and “Complicated.” The plaid-skirted icon who made angsty eyeliner cool. The theory that she’s not actually Avril has been around long enough to become a sort of digital urban legend, and it just refuses to go away.

The theory supposedly started when Avril reached her peak fame in 2002 at the age of 17, riding the massive wave of success from her debut album, Let Go. But, according to conspiracy theorists, the pressure of stardom and personal tragedies like the death of her grandfather became overwhelming. Frankly, some people believed that Avril had quietly passed away. And her record label, desperate to keep the Lavigne train rolling, secretly replaced her with a body double named Melissa. Yep, Melissa Vandella, allegedly a lookalike originally hired to throw off paparazzi, was suddenly thrust into full pop-star mode recording albums, giving interviews, and pretending to be the original Avril ever since.