John Lennon wrote the song in response to 'gobbledygook' said about Sgt. In November 1968, their self-titled double LP (also known as the 'White Album') was released containing the track ' Glass Onion'. Analysing their lyrics for hidden meaning had also become a popular trend in the US. By 1967, the Beatles were known for sometimes including backmasking in their music. McCartney then alluded to the rumour during a press conference held around the release of Sgt. The rumour was acknowledged and rebutted in the February issue of The Beatles Book. In early 1967, a similar rumour circulated in London that Paul McCartney had been killed in a traffic accident while driving along the M1 motorway on 7 January. He began receiving a number of calls from people asking whether McCartney was all right, to which he replied that he had recently spoken with McCartney. At the time, Barrow was the press officer for the Beatles and was responsible for fielding calls from fans and the media. The legend was among ten of 'the world's most enduring conspiracy theories' according to Time in 2009.Īccording to Tony Barrow, who wrote about it in his book John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me, the rumours about McCartney's death started circulating in September 1966. McCartney parodied the hoax with the title and cover art of his 1993 live album, Paul Is Live.

The phenomenon was the subject of analysis in the fields of sociology, psychology and communications during the 1970s. Rumours declined after Life published an interview with McCartney in November 1969. Proponents perceived clues among elements of Beatles songs and cover artwork clue-hunting proved infectious, and by October 1969 had become an international phenomenon. The rumour began circulating in 1966, gaining broad popularity in September 1969 following reports on American college campuses.Īccording to the theory, McCartney died in a car crash, and to spare the public from grief, the surviving Beatles, aided by Britain's MI5, replaced him with a McCartney look-alike, subsequently communicating this secret through subtle details of their albums. ' Paul is dead' is an urban legend and conspiracy theory alleging that English musician Paul McCartney of the Beatles died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a look-alike.

The urban legend alleges that McCartney died in November 1966 and was replaced by a stand-in. McCartney in 1966 (left) and sometime before June 1967 (right).

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