Episode Details

“Paul is dead” is a rumor/conspiracy theory that alleges Paul McCartney of the Beatles died on November 9, 1966, and was secretly replaced by a look-alike. The rumor gained broad popularity in the Fall of 1969 following news articles on some U.S. college campuses.

According to the rumor/conspiracy theory, McCartney died in a car crash. To spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles (John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) replaced him with a McCartney look-alike, subsequently communicating this secret through subtle details of their albums. Proponents perceived clues among elements of Beatles songs, photos, and cover artwork. Clue hunting proved infectious, and by the Fall of 1969 had become an international phenomenon.

The “Paul is dead” rumor/conspiracy declined somewhat after Life magazine published an interview with McCartney in November of 1969, but it was ranked among ten of “the world’s most enduring conspiracy theories,” according to Time magazine in 2009.

In this podcast episode, host Bob Edholm and his nephew, Luke Edholm, do a “deep dive” into how the rumor/conspiracy theory began, how it grew, and why people still like to talk about it nearly six decades later.

Also in this podcast episode, Bob and Luke talk about the “27 Club,” which refers to the phenomenon of musicians, singers, and singer/songwriters who died at age 27, often due to drug abuse, suicide, or violent circumstances. Key members include Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones, influential guitarist Jimi Hendrix, iconic singer Janis Joplin, The Doors vocalist Jim Morrison, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse, and blues musician Robert Johnson.