Some celebrities may have faked their own deaths. There are many examples of this. But why are they doing this? A non-trivial option suggests itself - for example, to avoid legal punishment or performance of debt obligations. Here are some examples of the most famous faked deaths.
Amy Semple McPherson
On May 18, 1926, Canadian evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappeared while swimming on a beach in Los Angeles. When the rescue teams were looking for her, one of the crew members died.
Five weeks later, MacPherson showed up in Mexico, claiming she was hiding from her kidnappers. The story appeared dubious and was investigated as a probabilistic fraud. Until the real death of McPherson in 1944, investigators did not reveal the true motives of her act.
Aleister Crowley
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In September 1930, Crowley, a self-proclaimed prophet and founder of the Thelema religion, jumped off a cliff near Lisbon. Or made everyone think so. Three weeks later, he showed up safe and sound in Berlin. It turns out that it was an elaborate deception that he planned with an acquaintance, the poet Fernando Pessoa.
His motives remain unclear, perhaps he did it to escape from a woman with whom he traveled and with whom he became bored. Is it any wonder that Crowley is called "the strangest man in the world"?
Juan Puyol Garcia
When World War II ended, British spy Juan Puyol Garcia, with the help of accomplices, faked his own death, allegedly from malaria, in order to secretly spy on Germany.
His wife never believed it or was surprised when he showed up four decades after being declassified by journalist Nigel West. Garcia was nicknamed "Agent Garbo" (for his talent and acting skills) and is one of the most famous spies in Europe.
Rev. Philip St. John Ross
When the Rev. Philip St. John Wilson Ross, an English vicar, drowned during a feast in August 1955, his wife and followers mourned the tragic end. Until two years later he was spotted in Switzerland with another woman, Kathleen Ryle.
He faked death and lived with a new passion under an assumed name.
Lord Lucan
Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (UK) was a relative of Princess Diana. Lord Lucan, as the public called him, disappeared in November 1974 after the murder of his children's nanny and an attack on his wife. It was she who pointed to him as a criminal.
Investigators found his abandoned car, in which there was an empty jar of pills - it seemed as if the count had committed suicide. But rumor has it that Lucan faked the death with the help of his wealthy and powerful friends.
John Stonehouse
British politician and MP John Stonehouse (pictured above) drowned in Florida in 1974. This is most welcome, since he had large debts.
Two months later, he was discovered in Australia, where he lived under an assumed name. In 1976, Stonehouse was found guilty of fraud and related crimes, serving a sentence of three years.
Takashi Mori
In 1995, 47-year-old Japanese man Takashi Mori, who lived in the Philippines, faked his death with the help of his 21-year-old son so that his family could get an insurance policy, which cost $ 5 million.
After which the family went to Japan to live off the dividends received. Nine months after his "death", Mori was found in Manila. He was arrested along with his son and wife and deported from Japan.
Patrick McDermott
Patrick McDermott has partnered with actress and singer Olivia Newton-John. On a fishing trip to Mexico in June 2005, he disappeared.
Although he was never seen again, the circumstances of this disappearance led to speculation that McDermott faked the death to avoid paying the bills.
Samuel Israel
Former hedge fund manager Samuel Israel was convicted of fraud and was due to go to jail on June 9, 2008. Instead, he dumped his car near the Bear Mountain Bridge in upstate New York, leaving a suicide note. Given the circumstances, the authorities did not believe for a second that he had committed suicide.
It turned out that he was hiding with his girlfriend in a van parked next to the motorway. Israel surrendered a month later, he is still alive and well and is in prison.
Stephen Kellaway
During a visit to Russia in 2008, Stephen Kellaway came up with a trick: his wife would report his death, return to Britain and provide the authorities with a Russian certificate. And so they did.
But two years later, Stephen issued a statement admitting that his death was faked to help flee an insurance fraud investigation.
Author: Anna Nikiforova