Paul is dead facts for kids

The "Paul is dead" story is a famous urban legend and conspiracy theory that suggests Paul McCartney, a member of the English rock band the Beatles, actually died in 1966. The theory claims that he was secretly replaced by someone who looked just like him.

The rumors started in September 1969 when students at American colleges began publishing articles. They claimed that hidden messages about McCartney's supposed death could be found in the lyrics and artwork of the Beatles' songs and albums. However, the rumors mostly faded away after a new interview with Paul McCartney was published in Life magazine in November 1969, showing he was alive and well.

Even today, popular culture sometimes mentions this legend. Paul McCartney himself even made fun of it with his 1993 live album called Paul Is Live. The cover of this album playfully copied some of the "clues" that people claimed were on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road album.

The "Paul Is Dead" Mystery

The "Paul is dead" legend is based on many different ideas. One theory even suggested that facial recognition technology could prove a different person "became" Paul after 1966. Many of the supposed clues are found on the cover of the Abbey Road album:

• The way the Beatles are walking across the road looks like a funeral procession.
  • John Lennon, dressed in white, is said to be the preacher.
  • Ringo Starr, dressed in black, is thought to be the undertaker.
  • George Harrison, dressed in work clothes, is seen as a grave digger.
• Paul is out of step with the other band members.
• Paul is barefoot, which some people thought meant he was a dead body.
• Paul is smoking a cigarette, which was sometimes called a "coffin nail."
• Paul is holding the cigarette in his right hand, even though he was known to be left-handed.
• A car number plate in the background reads "LMW 28IF." Some people believed this meant he would be 28 years old if he had lived.
• The "LMW" part was interpreted by some as "Lady McCartney Weeps." This was not thought to mean Linda McCartney, because if Paul died in 1966, the real Paul would never have met Linda.

Images for kids

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  The "funeral procession" on the cover of Abbey Road

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  The magazine report that rebutted the rumour

See also

In Spanish: Paul está muerto para niños