A conspiracy theory that originated in 2011 states that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne died in 2003, shortly after the release of her debut album, Let Go (2002), and was replaced by a body double named Melissa Vandella.
[2][3] The theory alleges that the pressures of fame, combined with the death of Lavigne's grandfather, sent her into a deep depression after the release of her 2002 debut album, Let Go, and that the singer died by suicide shortly after.
[6] Much of the evidence cited in support of the conspiracy theory is the purported appearance and disappearance of various moles and other skin blemishes in pictures of Lavigne over time,[4] as well as a promotional photoshoot in which she has the name "Melissa" written on her hand.
[8] In addition to the changes in her appearance, the theory alleges that the title and artwork for her second album, Under My Skin, and the lyrics of songs like "My Happy Ending", "Together", and "The Best Years of Our Lives" by Evan Taubenfeld are subliminal messaging.
"[12] The death hoax saw increased prevalence in May 2017, when a high school student posted a Twitter thread alleging that Lavigne had died and been replaced in late 2003.
[13] The Twitter thread largely corresponds with the earlier Avril Está Morta conspiracy, except that it asserts that Under My Skin was created using pre-existing recordings of the real Lavigne.
Lavigne was asked if she had heard about online rumours claiming she "had died and was replaced by a clone", to which she replied by saying that the first time she was hearing about it was in this interview, and later added, "Well, I'm here, and I'm here in Brazil".
In a video of the interview uploaded to the official YouTube channel of the TV show, it's possible to see images of the blog page Avril Está Morta responsible for starting the rumours.