Conspiracy theory

Sir Paul McCartney became the subject of one of the most famous conspiracy theories in music history - the rumour that he had died and been replaced by a look-alike.

According to the theory, McCartney was killed in a car crash and The Beatles secretly substituted him to avoid upsetting fans.

The story gained traction after The Beatles Book - the official fan magazine - reported bad weather on January 7, 1966, and noted: “Towards the end of the day, a rumour swept London that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash on the M1. But of course, there was absolutely no truth in it at all.”

Reflecting on the rumour, McCartney said in 1974: “Someone from the office rang me up and said, ‘Look, Paul, you’re dead.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I don’t agree with that.’”