Paul is dead

"Paul is dead" is an urban legend and conspiracy theory suggesting that Paul McCartney of the English rock band the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike.

In September 1969, American college students published articles claiming that clues to McCartney's supposed death could be found among the lyrics and artwork of the Beatles' recordings. Rumours declined after a contemporary interview with McCartney was published in Life magazine in November 1969.

Popular culture continues to make occasional reference to the legend, and McCartney poked fun at it with a 1993 live album titled Paul Is Live, whose cover parodied "clues" allegedly on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album.

The evidence

The legend is based on a range of ideas. One theory says that facial recognition proves that a different person "became" Paul after 1966. The Abbey Road cover clues include:

• The Beatles walking across the road look like a funeral procession
  • John Lennon dressed in white is the preacher
  • Ringo Starr dressed in black is the undertaker
  • George Harrison is dressed in work clothes is a grave digger.
• Paul is out of step with the others
• Paul is barefoot
• Paul is smoking a cigarette, sometimes called a "coffin nail"
• Paul is holding the cigarette in his right hand, even though he was left handed
• A car number plate "LMW 28IF" means that he would be 28 had he lived
• The LMW means Lady McCartney Weeps (not Linda McCartney Weeps, because if Paul died in 1966, the real Paul would have never met Linda)

Additionally, when the song "I'm So Tired" is played backwards, John Lennon can be heard saying "Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him." This was likely inserted into the song to poke fun at believers of the conspiracy theory.