Every few years a conspiracy theory pops up surrounding a celebrity who has passed away. Perhaps they are still alive and just in hiding, or the government took them out of circulation, or did they fake their own death for monetary gain? It's hard for some people to understand that a person they adored has suddenly passed away, especially if they died young or tragically. The people on this list are officially dead, but some people still don't believe it.
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#1 James Dean
James Dean only had three major film roles to make him a superstar of Hollywood Glamour. Along with Marilyn, Natalie Wood, and others of his time, he made the phrase "live fast and leave a good-looking corpse" a reality. The star of Rebel Without A Cause and East of Eden died in a car crash on September 30, 1955, at the age of 24, but is one of the most recognized faces in Hollywood history. But some people have conspiracy theories about his tragic death. The inquest made of the accident was altered, there are inconsistencies in witness statements, and a photo of his body being carried off on a stretcher are said to be faked. There are no clear signs that Dean would want to fake his death or who would gain by pretending he had died, but the theories have been fueled by many over the years.
#2 Jim Morrison
The frontman for the rock band The Doors, Jim Morrison died on July 3, 1971, at the young age of 27. Known as the "Lizard King" he was found dead in a hotel bathroom in Paris, France. Though it was well known that Morrison was a heavy drug abuser, his actual cause of death remains a mystery. There was no autopsy done, which is standard on a person under 30 years old, and his cause of death was simply listed as 'heart failure'. It is believed that some cover up was committed in the discovery of his body since the authorities did not want to implicate his young girlfriend, who found Morrison's body. Fans believe that he may simply have wanted out of the spotlight, as his music was even drifting away from what it once had been and he was becoming vague and esoteric.
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#3 Lady Diana
It was the death that rocked the world on April 31, 1997. The former Princess of Wales was one of the most recognizable people in the world after she married the heir to the throne of the U.K., Prince Charles. Her charity work and her style was a media staple during the 1980s and 1990s. Her divorce from Price Charles became constant tabloid fodder, as did her relationship with billionaire Dodi Fayed. Diana, 36, and Fayed were both killed in a tragic car accident as the couple was trying to evade paparazzi. There were many conspiracy theories surrounding the accident. Many believed the Roa]yal Family had them killed. Other believed the two faked their death to elude the spotlight forever and live happily without further intrusion. Fayed's family even had the throne investigated by dozens of detectives and secret agencies, but so far nothing has come of those investigations and that could be due to the power behind the British Royals.
#4 Notorious B.I.G.
The Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace, was part of the beginning of the rap scene in the early 1990's. He and Tupac (more on him later) were at the center of the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop war that eventually cost both their lives (allegedly). Biggie only released one album in his short career, titled 'Ready To Die' which came out in 1994. The New Yorker was gunned down in Las Angeles by a drive-by shooter in 1997. However, a brand new album of his music came out just a month after his murder, which he may have had finished but not released. But then, two years later, a third album comes out of his music, in 1999, making people suspect he may actually be still alive.
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#5 Tupac Shakur
The Notorious B.I.G. isn't the only famous 1990s East Coast-West Coast rap feud victim who people have long believed may have actually survived his supposed murder. Tupac Shakur is another high-profile rapper whose murder many people believe was staged, and the similarities between his and Biggies deaths are speculative. Officially, Tupac died on September 13, 1996, after he was shot a few days earlier in Las Vegas. He was just 25 years old at the time. However, there have long been whispering that Pac actually secretly survived the shootings and has been living a secluded life ever since. The reason: He, like Biggie, has prolifically released posthumous music. Six studio albums have come out since his death, the last being in 2006, ten years after his shooting. Fans and those with enquiring minds wonder how so much music was recorded and then left to be pushed out years later.
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#6 Kurt Cobain
Like many on this list, Cobain's fans simply refuse to believe that the rock guitarist has died. His fans believe that he not only made the group Nirvana one of the most popular bands of its time, but one which many believed epitomized the world view of its fans. But part of Cobain's appeal was that he was a troubled soul, fighting depression and a heroin addiction. On April 8, 1994, the world learned that Cobain's dead body was discovered in his home. A coroner's report later said that he had shot himself a few days before, setting the date of his death on April 5. Almost instantly, conspiracy theories began to pop up all over the tabloids and gossip magazines. His wife, Courtney Love was accused by many as killing him and is still hated by Nirvana fans. Others would say that Cobain, tired of fame and the pressure of fans, staged his death in order to live in privacy.
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#7 Jimi Hendrix
His fans have refused to accept his untimely death. Jimi Hendrix was one of the icons of his generation, a once-in-a-lifetime guitar prodigy. Late on September 17, 1970, Hendrix was found unconscious in an apartment in London. He was pronounced dead early the next morning, with doctors concluding that he died in a drug-related incident that led to him to asphyxiate on his own vomit. Hendrix was just 27 at the time. Despite this, conspiracy theories persist on the Internet that Hendrix survived into the 21st century, living in Hawaii with a wife and children. Rabid fans have even travelled around the globe in search of clues to his death.
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#8 Amelia Earheart
In the 1920s and 1930s aviation was a big deal and flying was a novelty that not many people had a chance to experience. Many people made headlines by flying, like Charles Lindbergh. Amelia Earhart was part of the hoopla, becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. In 1937, she attempted to circumnavigate the globe but she never made it. Her plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean and search crews were never able to recover the plane or her body. The nature of the disappearance led many to believe she had actually survived and was living on a remote island. This particular not-dead celeb story might not be so far-fetched because just recently bones that were discovered on an island in the 1940s were found to be those of Earhart's. However, again the story get murky, as those bones have now disappeared.
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#9 Michael Jackson
The King of Pop passed away on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50, dying of an overdose of the drug propofol. His death is still believed to be a hoax by thousands of true fans who will not accept his passing. Fuel to the conspiracy flame is easy with Jackson since he had been tabloid fodder for decades. He was famously reclusive, living in a mansion filled with the oddest of collections. After decades at the center of media attention, including several well-publicized accusations of child abuse, the singer had become wary of the public spotlight. People believe he simply wanted to be out of the spotlight because he was tired. A comeback tour planned to begin just weeks after his death was heavily promoted and he worked tirelessly on his performance. Rumors began to circulate that Jackson did not want to continue with the concerts and had no way to financially back out of them, so he pulled off a faked death.
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#10 Adolf Hitler
The story of his death states that Hitler killed himself, his wife, and their dog in a secluded bunker when the war ended and he was being sought by WWII Allies. His remains were all trashed but later found in an artillery crater. The Allies were very suspicious of the Russians, who discovered the remains and kept it very secretive. The Russians believe that Hitler had faked his own death since only partial remains were actually found. For years after his death people reported seeing Hitler alive and the US government actually believed at one point that he was alive and living in South America. There is little actual evidence of this, but the Hitler-is-alive theme remains around in popular culture.
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#11 Elvis Presley
Everyone knows someone whose cousin or distant relative actually saw Elvis alive at a McDonalds or a fast food joint after his death. The King of Rock and Roll died in 1977 at the age of 42 but rumors started spreading almost immediately that the King was still alive. This was because the facts surrounding the historical music figure were contradictory about the cause of his death. To further fuel the conspiracy's, his middle name was misspelled on his tombstone. It was spelled "Aaron" instead of "Aron," the way his family had traditionally spelled it. His birth certificate proved that the name was engraved correctly and that his family had been spelling it wrong since his birth. Over they years so many spotting have been sighted of Elvis in various locations that several websites are now available to track his whereabouts at any given time. There is even an aging slide show to give fans or those who are still looking for him, a chance to see his progression or what he might look like today.
