# Is Andy Kaufman(sp) Still Alive? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480 "2000-12-07T15:01:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/1 "2000-12-07T15:01:54Z")
I was at some friend last night and we started discussing this. This one girl was hell bent on saying he was. I have to admit after the movie(“Man on the Moon”) I was wondering myself but then I believed to he was dead. Then this girl started me wondering again. I mean it(him still being alive) would be the biggest pratical joke of all time. He would go down in history for that one. And he fooled me with that wrestling dude I thought he was really pissed at Andy. I think he is probably dead. If it was a gag, I don’t think he would have waited this long. And it would have made sense for him to appear after the movie was released to stimulate more sales. Anyway thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/2 "2000-12-07T15:12:55Z")
WB, Andy Kaufman, like Generalissimo Francisco Franco, is still dead. ---
**Author:** ![Wrath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee7513/32.png) [@Wrath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrath)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/3 "2000-12-07T15:17:11Z")
Ann D. Kauffman is quite alive, in a sense, on Jupiter with L. Ron Hubbard and L. Vis. Presley. I know this because I astral-project there twice a week to watch the King’s performances. He’s even better dead. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/4 "2000-12-07T15:18:57Z")
Yes, and he posts here under the name WIldest Bill… ---
**Author:** ![Wildest\_Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Wildest\_Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wildest_Bill)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/5 "2000-12-07T15:28:23Z")
Hey I am not saying he is alive either. Buuuttt if anybody could pull off an extreme pratical joke, couldn’t be him? And vanilla, shhhh. ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/6 "2000-12-07T16:34:21Z")
And the answer is . . . .dead. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/7 "2000-12-07T16:57:10Z")
I’m surprised **Cecil** didn’t do a column on this already. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/8 "2000-12-07T17:11:42Z")
If Andy pulled this off as a stunt, I have to ask, how long before the joke becomes stale? How many years will it take before he decides he’s proved his point? Now, if he simply went underground, changed his name and is living life as someone else, that’s another issue. But in that case it would be clear that he doesn’t WANT to be Andy Kaufman anymore, so he may as well be dead. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2000, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/9 "2000-12-07T19:11:08Z")
**This** is a Great Debate? Good God… Yes, he and Elvis are having a good laugh, and frequently dress up as aliens and abduct people from trailer parks. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/10 "2000-12-08T02:31:33Z")
I’ll believe he’s dead when some Mexican sees him in a tortilla. 😃 Anyway, the guy is dead. He got cancer, he didn’t get treated, he died. Sometimes legends die, just like DiMaggio and Gherig. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-andy-kaufman-sp-still-alive/44480/11 "2000-12-08T02:40:04Z")
> [@](#): > > This is a Great Debate? Good God… [Moderator Hat ON] Naw, I don’t think so. The GQ part of this has been answered–dead as a doornail. Anything beyond this will probably deal with opinions, so off to IMHO with you. [Moderator Hat OFF]