Paul McCartney’s Daughter Addresses ‘Paul Is Dead’ Conspiracy Theory

In the late 1960s, a conspiracy theory emerged that Paul McCartney was dead and had been replaced by The Beatles with a look-alike. Some people took the theory too seriously, especially since there are countless pictures and videos of McCartney that prove he’s alive. His daughter, Mary, recently addressed this theory and how it impacted her growing up. 

The ‘Paul is Dead’ conspiracy theory picked up steam after ‘Abbey Road’ debuted

In 1967, a rumor began swirling that Paul McCartney had been killed in a vehicular accident, and The Beatles were currently using a look-alike to hide it from fans. These theories began blowing up after the cover for Abbey Road emerged, and many fans looked through every detail for clues. 

Several of the alleged pieces of evidence fans believed supported the theory were Paul McCartney walking barefoot, an eerie license plate on a Volkswagen beetle, and each member of The Beatles representing a funeral procession. In an interview on Good Day New York, McCartney’s daughter addressed these supposed pieces of evidence and how a few were debunked. 

“Dad’s like, ‘It was a sunny day.’ He had sandals on, and he just flipped off his sandals when they walked across because it was hot,” Mary explained. “But then, John Lennon’s wearing a white suit. Think they were like, ‘Oh, this means Paul is dead.’ And then in the background, apparently, there’s like the number plate that sort of almost reads like ‘271f,’ like if he was still alive, and people read all these things into it, but it was just reading into it.”

Mary McCartney says many people would ask her father if he was still alive

Growing up with many people telling you your father is dead when he isn’t has to be frustrating. Mary, who directed the Abbey Road documentary If These Walls Could Sing, shared stories about people coming up to Paul in public and asking if he was dead.

“That happened in a shoe shop once in Long Island. It was like, ‘Oh, but you’re dead,’ and he was like, ‘No,’ and they were like, ‘No, but we saw the whole thing,’” Mary shared. “That was my earliest memory of like, ‘What’s going on here? Why are they saying that?’ Then, it sort of opened up.”

Paul McCartney became paranoid over people believing he was dead

In an interview for his website, Paulmccartney.com, the former Beatle said that people would often call him on the phone and see if he was alive or dead. He would tell them he was alive, but some wouldn’t believe him. He said he became “paranoid” because if he couldn’t convince them, no one could. 

“I know all the rumors… because I was being asked about them!” McCartney revealed. “There would literally be someone ringing up to ask, ‘Are you dead?’ I said, ‘Well, no. I’m answering this phone call!’ And the reply would be, ‘Well, I can’t be sure it’s you. So, then you actually do get a bit paranoid about yourself. And you think, ‘How am I going to prove to them or to anyone that this is me?!’ I figured, in time, this look-a-like will be writing some pretty decent songs, and if it wasn’t me, how had I trained him to write songs?”