From Kurt Cobain's death to Beyoncé's Illuminati ties: The weirdest music conspiracy theories

Ever since Robert Johnson supposedly sold his soul to the devil at a crossroads in return for musical success, the music world has been filled with legends and conspiracy theories.

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Things have gotten worse thanks to the internet, as there’s hardly a single modern celebrity that has remained untouched by some outlandish rumour or not been attributed a bizarre urban legend.

Most of them are baseless, with one or two speculations capturing the collective imagination through renewed interest – much like the new forensic report suggesting that Kurt Cobain’s death may have been a homicide staged as a suicide.

Here are 12 of the most persistent and strangest conspiracy theories in the music world.

Paul McCartney died in 1966

We start with the biggest music conspiracy theory of them all: Paul McCartney died in a car crash in 1966, and the former Beatle was replaced by a lookalike.

The “Paul Is Dead” urban legend took hold with fans recognising “clues” in the band’s work. You see, the story goes that the remaining Beatles concealed the death, felt guilty about the lie, and began to leave messages in the music to share the truth with their fans.

The biggest piece of evidence? The cover of the 1969 album 'Abbey Road', in which McCartney is pictured walking barefoot and out of step with the other Beatles – meaning that the real Paul was no more. Fans understood this visual as a funeral procession: John Lennon is the clergyman in white; Ringo Starr is the mourner in black; and George Harrison is grave digger in denim.

Need more? The VW licence plate in the background reads ‘28IF’ - as in: Paul would have been 28 years old IF he had lived to 1969.

McCartney has responded on many occasions, trying to dispel the rumour. Our favourite? When he quoted Mark Twain when issuing a statement that read: “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

David Bowie predicted Kanye West’s life and career

This conspiracy stems from the album cover of David Bowie's 1972 masterpiece ‘The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars’, which sees Bowie standing on 23 Heddon Street under a sign that says "K. West."

Never mind that the sign belonged to a furrier store... Some thought “K. West” was code for “Quest” and over the years, fans have dug deeper. You see, the album features the song ‘Five Years’ and in 1977, a certain Kanye Omari West was born... Coincidence? Perish the thought!

The theory doesn’t end there though, as Bowie’s final album was titled ‘Blackstar’ - something which many interpreted as the chameleon of rock anointing his successor, ie: Kanye ‘Ye’ West.

Mama Cass and the ham sandwich

False pre-autopsy information provided to the press in July 1974 led to the rumour that Cass Elliot (“Mama Cass”) of the Mamas and the Papas died after choking on a ham sandwich.

In reality, the 32-year-old died of a heart attack during her sleep in Harry Nilsson’s apartment in London, with no drugs in her system – as many were quick to call out drug use. The cause of death was due to fatty degeneration of the heart, possibly caused by obesity and crash dieting.

Strangely enough, The Who’s Keith Moon died in the same flat and bed as Mama Cass four years later, also aged 32. This led many to declare Nilsson’s apartment as cursed. That we buy.

Elvis faked his own death

Some Elvis fans still don’t want to believe that the King of Rock’n’Roll died on the toilet on 16 August 1977, as a multitude of conspiracy theorists – nicknamed “Alivers” - state that Presley faked his death and did not die of a massive heart attack.

The proof? The King’s autopsy was kept confidential as he was a US spy who entered the witness protection program, and the whole truth can be found in a suppressed, top-secret, 633-page FBI report that the US government is keeping under lock and key.

What more evidence do you need???

Supertramp predicted 9/11

Another album cover that seems to hide some secrets...

Supertramp’s 1979 album ‘Breakfast in America’ features a waitress as a Statue of Liberty substitute over the New York City skyline, as viewed from a plane. She holds a glass of orange juice instead of a torch, which is positioned in front of the Twin Towers.

Ergo: the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks were predicted by Supertramp!

Need more? If you hold the record in front of a mirror, the “U” and the “P” in “SUPERTRAMP” look like “11” and “9” respectively, hovering over the towers. Chilling.

Stairway to... Hell?

Several songs over the years have been accused of containing subliminal messages, with fundamentalist Christian groups always keen to condemn popular tracks as satanic through backmasking – a recording technique in which a message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward.

The conspiracies reached their peak during the 1980s Satanic Panic in the US, when Christian parents were warned that rock music was a conduit leading innocent listeners straight into the arms of the Prince of Darkness.

The most infamous theory was that Led Zeppelin’s classic ‘Stairway to Heaven’ was an ode to Old Nick, as it contains the backward message: "It's my sweet Satan... Oh I will sing because I live with Satan.”

Other songs accused of backwardly flirting with The Devil include The Beatles' ‘Revolution 9’, John Lennon's ‘Imagine’, The Eagles' ‘Hotel California’ and Britney Spears' ‘...Baby One More Time’.

Kurt Cobain was murdered

Music fans love to speculate over the death of an icon, with many claiming that musicians never died at all or that foul play was involved. Popular ones include: the previously mentioned Elvis theory; Jimi Hendrix didn’t overdose and was murdered by his former manager; the CIA was responsible for Bob Marley’s death; Jim Morrison didn’t really overdose in a bathtub; Michael Jackson faked his death and still alive.

But the most persistent conspiracy theory surrounds Kurt Cobain’s death.

The Nirvana frontman’s body was found at his Seattle apartment on 5 April 1994 and his cause of death was ruled to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound to the face, as Cobain has been wrestling with drug abuse and depression for years. However, countless Nirvana fans still insist that it wasn’t suicide and that Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, had something to do with it.

The persistent conjecture cites the rocker's supposedly tampered suicide note, discrepencies regarding the crime scene, and the fact that Cobain had too much heroin in his system to operate a shotgun.

A 1998 documentary by Nick Broomfield titled Kurt & Courtney ran with these theories, discovering evidence that Cobain was going to divorce Love and uncovering testimonies that Love had allegedly arranged his murder to retain her husband’s fortune. Later, a 2014 documentary, Soaked in Bleach, also explored the conspiracy surrounding Cobain’s suicide, and theaters showing the film were met with a cease-and-desist notice from Love's law firm – something which only fuelled speculation further.

Three decades since Cobain’s tragic death, a new independent investigation has reignited debate over what truly happened, challenging the suicide ruling, and affirming that the suicide could be a staged homicide.

Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan is a vampire

Dave Gahan once allegedly bit a journalist’s neck in 1994, and has admitted to sleeping in a coffin-shaped bed. Plus, he looks great for his age. That’s enough for some to be convinced that Depeche Mode’s frontman is a blood sucking creature destined to roam the planet for centuries – while giving us hits like ‘Enjoy The Silence’, ‘Personal Jesus’ and ‘Walking In My Shoes.’

If this turns out to be true, we’re not complaining. And anyone who’s ever seen the band live can attest to the fact the 63-year-old doesn’t seem to be affected by the trappings of time. Good for him.

The Avril Lavigne Replacement Theory

The theory goes that after the release of her debut album ‘Let Go’, Avril Lavigne was supposedly replaced by someone called Melissa Vandella, as the angsty Canadian punk-popper couldn’t handle the instant fame.

Evidence for the doppelganger switcheroo? Melissa is taller, wears more skirts, and Avril changed musical influences over her career far too many times.

Fans are just probably in denial that the artist who gave them hits like ‘Complicated’ and ‘With You’ was ever capable of delivering the cultural appropriation trash that is ‘Hello Kitty’.

Lavigne has responded to the replacement theory over the years, telling the Call Her Daddy podcast: “Honestly, it’s not that bad. It could be worse, right? I feel like I got a good one.”

Stevie Wonder isn’t really blind

Stevie Wonder has been faking his blindness, according to certain corners of the internet.

Born prematurely and having developed a condition called retinopathy of prematurity, Wonder’s blindness came under scrutiny when he was seen onstage with Paul McCartney at the White House in 2010. During the show, Wonder appeared to catch a mic stand that McCartney knocked over. Cue: insane conjecture that the legendary soul artist has been fooling everyone for decades.

Wonder has spoken openly about his blindness, and has had some fun over the conspiracy that he isn’t really blind. In 2017, he said: “This year, I will reveal the truth.”

Drumroll... The truth is that he’s blind and people have waaaaay too much time on their hands.

Katy Perry is actually JonBenét Ramsey

The official story goes that six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey was killed in her parents’ home in Boulder, Colorado, on 25 December 1996. On 26 December, she was reported missing and her body was found seven hours later in the basement of the house.

The case remains unsolved, an open homicide that has led some to suspect that she could still be alive. Don’t ask – it's weird. But if you haven’t seen Kitty Green’s 2017 documentary Casting JonBenet, make that your next watch.

One of the more far-fetched theories regarding the death of the young beauty queen is that she remained hidden until 2008 and resurfaced as none other than Katy Perry.

It doesn’t make a lick of sense.

Beyoncé and the Illuminati

While most celebs only have one conspiracy theory to their name, Beyoncé has too many to mention.

Her sister is her daughter! She had a secret surrogate! She’s older than she says she is! She’s behind Michael Jackson’s death and knew all about P-Diddy! Artists thank her in their acceptance speeches so she’ll spare their lives! Her album ’Renaissance’ is a harbinger of the Apocalypse! It’s... a lot.

The one that seems to come back the most though is that she’s part of the Illuminati, peppering her music, on stage shows and public appearances with mind-control symbolism linked to the secret society... Brainwashing gestures like the triangle – which is actually a reference to her husband Jay-Z’s ROC label sign.

Conspiracy theorists just won’t see reason when it comes to Queen Bey, believing that she’s conspiring to control world affairs and rule the world as the supreme head of the Enlightenment-era clique.

But considering the current state of play, wouldn’t the world be better off as one giant Bey Hive? Food for thought.