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Avril Lavigne took a long hiatus from the music scene. So it’s natural for her fans to note her absence, asking if Avril Lavigne is dead. But in 2017, there’s an old conspiracy theory surrounding the punk rock princess, giving new light to the question.

Did Avril Lavigne get replaced by a clone? According to one viral conspiracy theory, she has. The Canadian pop star took a break from the spotlight to deal with her personal issues, but recently announced her comeback along with a new record label. The album’s expected to be released before the end of 2017, and we might hear a few songs pretty soon. But this Avril Lavigne’s dead theory is proving to be a dampener. Here’s what you need to know about it in our Avril Lavigne wiki.

Who is the Punk Rock Princess?

Avril Lavigne is a singer and songwriter from Canada. He parents recognized her singing talent and encouraged her by buying her a microphone, drum kit, keyboard, and several guitars, and converted the basement of their family home into a studio. She also began writing her own songs as a teenager. A radio contest led to her performing with Shania Twain. From then on, there was no stopping her.

At 16, Lavigne signed her first record deal with Arista Records. She left school and pursued her music career with a punk rock image. Her debut album, Let Go made her the youngest female soloist to reach #1 on the UK Album Charts at that time, with her chart-topping singles like “Complicated,” “Sk8er Boi,” and “My Happy Ending.”

She also tried her hand at acting with movies like Over the Hedge and the upcoming release, Charming. She has her own clothing line, Abbey Dawn, and a fragrance line.

Avril Lavigne‘s success in music and other ventures have earned her a net worth of $50.0 million.

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Personal Troubles

While her professional life was stellar, the same couldn’t be said about Lavigne’s personal life. She’s had a few ups and downs, especially in the romance department. She was friends with Sum 41 frontman, Deryck Whibley, since she was 17 and the two began dating when she was 19. They married in 2006, but divorced three years later. She later dated The Hills star, Brody Jenner for two years.

Lavigne began dating Nickelback frontman, Chad Kroeger, in 2012 when they worked on the songstress’ album together. They married the following year and all seemed well between the two. That is, until Lavigne announced their divorce via Instagram in 2015.

A few months after her split with Kroeger, the “Girlfriend” singer disclosed in an interview that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Since then, she took a break to focus on her recovery and is now making a comeback.

Is Avril Lavigne Dead?

An old conspiracy theory claims that Avril Lavigne has been dead or incognito and an imposter has replaced her. In 2017, Twitter added to the almost hilarious madness centering on the punk princess. An article from 2015 had an in-depth look into the Avril Lavigne conspiracy theory and it has since gone viral.

According to this theory, Avril Lavigne was grieving the death of her grandfather and shortly left the spotlight. She then hired a lookalike named Melissa Vandella to go around LA and pose for paparazzi pics. She took things a step further by writing songs and having Vandella sing them, posing as the punk princess.

The theory first came up when Lavigne shed her brooding punk skateboarder image for a more peppy and bright look. (Compare “Complicated” to “Girlfriend” to see where these people are coming from.) But the latest reemergence of the theory has a more bizarre twist. A Twitter user claims that Lavigne died between her second and third albums and it was Vandella’s voice on the third album. There is “evidence” regarding Lavigne’s tattoos and birthmarks, as well as before and after pics and videos. Check out the Twitter thread below!

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The truth, however, is far less interesting. The punk princess is very much alive and there’s no imposter. Some more sage Twitterati have called out the hoax saying skin blemishes can change over time, adding that the subtle differences between the old and new Avril is the result of plastic surgery. We’ll still have to wait for official confirmation as to whether or not Lavigne went under the knife, but that’s the most believable theory right now.