Back to Rock and Roll Hoaxes
Paul Is Dead
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Perhaps the best musical urban legend of all time, "Paul McCartney is dead" started in 1967 after a rumor began circulating that he had died in a car crash. It really hit fever pitch in 1969 when Paul's hermit-like attitude fueled the fire. An article titled "Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead?" published in a student paper at Drake University launched a slew of speculation, including all sorts of conspiracy theories. It turns out there was nothing to Paul's barefoot walk on Abbey Road's cover, nor does it say "turn me on, dead man" when you play the Beatles' "Revolution 9" backwards. Though it would be pretty cool if Sir Paul was actually a zombie.











