The death of Andy Kaufman has been debated for decades.
Supposedly, back in 1984 the comedic legend died of cancer at 35, at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in California. Now, Kaufman's former writing partner, Bob Zmuda, claims to want to set the record straight and tell the real story in his new book Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally.
He claims Kaufman faked his own death and the groundwork was laid for it through a character he created, Tony Clifton.
According to Zmuda, he and Kaufman wrote a script together that included the demise of Clifton and the circumstances surrounding his fictional death mirror precisely what supposedly happened to Kaufman four years later. Zmuda now believes that in writing the Clifton character, it somehow helped Kaufman successfully fake his own death.
Zmuda claims that early childhood trauma is likely the catalyst to Kaufman living a life that included bending the truth to suit his needs. He also reportedly discussed faking his own death often, considering it to be the greatest prank he could possibly play on his fans.
Zmuda pointed out that it was an illegal thing to do, but that did not seem to phase Kaufman, who seemed to think that re-emerging after about 50 years would be the most mind-blowing thing he could ever do.
As far as walking away from his high-profile life at the height of his fame, Zmuda claims that Kaufman was excited to start over and just live the life of a normal guy. He was supposedly anxious to morph into someone else physically and to watch while people like us debated what really happened to him.
What do you think? Is Kaufman really dead or has he managed to not only pull off the perfect prank, but also a pretty hefty crime as well? Comment below.
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