A conspiracy theory states that Canadian singer Avril Lavigne died in 2003, shortly after the release of her debut album, Let Go (2002), and was replaced by a body double named Melissa Vandella. Evidence used to support the theory include changes in Lavigne's appearance between 2003 and the present, supposed subliminal messaging in her follow-up effort, Under My Skin (2004), and a photoshoot in which Lavigne has the name "Melissa" written on her hand. The theory is the subject of the BBC Sounds podcast Who Replaced Avril Lavigne?[1]
The origins of the theory can be traced back to the 2011 Brazilian blog Avril Está Morta ("Avril Is Dead"), which led to conversations on Internet forums sharing supposed evidence of Lavigne's replacement. The theory gained more traction in May 2017, when a Twitter user posted a thread recounting the theory. Lavigne herself has denied the theory on multiple occasions.