# Has Anybody Famous Successfully Faked His/Her Death? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 2, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051 "2003-10-02T02:43:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TexGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9d8465/32.png) [@TexGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/21 "2003-10-03T04:34:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racer72 \* > \*\*National Enquirer had an article shortly after 9/11 that claimed some folks used the tragedy as a way to disappear and start over again. If someone was in the area that morning and wanted out of a bad relationship, the answer was happening right before their eyes. Pure speculation but perfectly plausible. \*\* Could you really do this? I mean, sure, everyone would think you’re dead, but what do you do then? You can’t just slip into a new life with no identity, can you? Or is this one of those things where, “You don’t want to know, but there are ways…” I can get you a toe by this afternoon - with nail polish ---
**Author:** ![Lampokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4af34b/32.png) [@Lampokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lampokey)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/22 "2003-10-03T05:10:16Z")
I do not subscribe to the theory , but certain “scholars” believe that Jesus Christ did just that. And how on earth Mrs.Perrin could believe that Reggie was his brother Martin … well , really …!!:smack: ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/23 "2003-10-03T05:13:13Z")
Prolific hoaxer Alan Abel faked his own death and got his obituary in the New York times. At a slight tangent to the OP, there have been successful cases of a person or persons faking someone _else’s_ death. The movie ‘The Man Who Never Was’ tells the true story of Operation Mincemeat, when the death of a fictional ‘Major William Martin’ was faked to get faked documents into enemy hands. More details: [http://africanhistory.about.com/library/prm/blmanwhoneverwas1.htm](http://africanhistory.about.com/library/prm/blmanwhoneverwas1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/24 "2003-10-03T06:51:12Z")
Would **D.B. Cooper** count? ---
**Author:** ![jimmmy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/73ab20/32.png) [@jimmmy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmmy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/25 "2003-10-03T13:33:28Z")
Jim Morrrison? 🙂 Huck Finn/Tom Sawyer? 🙂 🙂 Quoting the National Archives 1999 Press release regarding the files of **Heinrich Mueller** , the last head of the Gestapo … it is clear he MAY HAVE faked his death – it is uncertain what happened, but its possible … & he was world famous at the time. ------------------Quote------------------------ The file relating to Heinrich Mueller, containing some 135 pages, covers the period from 1945 to 1963. It also contains copies of Nazi-Government produced documents that pre-date 1945. During World War II, Mueller was the head of the Gestapo and the leading administrator in mass killing operations during the period of late 1942 to late 1944. In the files, there were reports, rumors, and allegations that he was working for the Czech, Argentine, Russian and Cuban governments. Rumors are also noted in the files that he was killed in the last days of the war or that he killed himself and his family in 1946. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/26 "2003-10-03T15:33:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sam Stone \* > \*\*Would **D.B. Cooper** count? \*\* That would be Dan Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![PhilAlex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/839c29/32.png) [@PhilAlex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhilAlex)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/27 "2003-10-03T16:18:04Z")
That’s Sublight, it was Hyap-thermai lee. Re: DB Cooper: Apparently, he did confess on his deathbed to his wife. Talk about a revelation… Oh yeah, honey. Y’know where I got all this money? Stole it. Gotta die now. On a similar note: A convicted murderer escaped and went to Sudbury Ontario (Up north) and worked as a short order cook for 30 years until he died. No one found him. (To be fair, I think his crime of murder was a crime of passion, but anyway). Freaks me out. I’ve been to sudbury 1000 times, and love to eat in greasy spoons. ---
**Author:** ![DirtyKash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@DirtyKash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirtyKash)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/28 "2003-10-03T17:23:34Z")
2pac. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/29 "2003-10-03T17:26:21Z")
Fifty years ago, when I was 16, I got a social security card in five minutes no questions asked. Well, not none asked, but no verification of any of the information. Nowadays you can’t do that. I suppose fake IDs are available if you know where to go, but how are you going to reestablish a whole identity? You have no credit record, no references,… I think if you planned it in advance, you could just cache the cash and whatever records you needed and so on, but it is hard to see how someone could just walk away from the WTC and start over. ---
**Author:** ![RTA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@RTA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTA)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/30 "2003-10-03T17:33:13Z")
They’ve said this about Jim Morrison, too … but as **Stimpy** rightly said, if it was successful, how would we know? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/31 "2003-10-03T17:52:40Z")
Paul (the Walrus) McCartney ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/32 "2003-10-03T19:32:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by PhilAlex \* > \*\*Re: DB Cooper: Apparently, he did confess on his deathbed to his wife. Talk about a revelation… \*\* Not proven; the F.B.I. considers the case still unsolved. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/33 "2003-10-03T20:02:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SnoopyFan \* > \*\*Betcha Princess Di is holed up somewhere in Switzerland \*\* Her aorta was torn from the left ventricle, and she died fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/34 "2003-10-03T20:05:11Z")
> [@](#): > > but how are you going to reestablish a whole identity There are plenty of fraudsters who can do this, but as this is goes into the area of illegal acts, I won’t get into it. Suffice to say, even in this day and age, it’s possible to create a fake identity. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051/35 "2003-10-03T20:27:46Z")
Forgive my ignorance but who is this 2pac guy, is that the rap singer Tupac? I thought he got shot dead in Vegas. Is he alive? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anybody-famous-successfully-faked-his-her-death/205051.md?page=1)