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  • Andy Kaufman’s Brother Claims to be Victim of Hoax

    After iconic entertainer Andy Kaufman died of a rare form of lung cancer in 1984, there have been numerous conspiracy theories and rumors that the comedian faked his own death since, with the latest emerging during this week’s annual Andy Kaufman Awards in New York City.

    Alongside Andy’s brother Michael, an unnamed woman, claiming to be the late actor’s daughter, declared that Kaufman was still alive, and that he’d planned to reveal himself at the event, but got cold feet at the last minute.

    Below is a TMZ clip of the revelation:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JWT34Yiqk

    Now it’s been revealed that the “daughter” is actually a 24-year-old actress named Alexandra Tatarsky, and that her father is a 58-year-old psychologist. The Smoking Gun reported that Michael Kaufman met her earlier this year at a Manhattan art gallery, and hired her to pose as his brother’s daughter.

    Kaufman denied the whole thing, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that he believes he’s part of a hoax, and that he didn’t think Tatarsky had been “acting on her own, though,” adding, “that’s all I know.” Tapper grilled Kaufman:”Just to reiterate, you now don’t think that it’s true – you think that this is a hoax and you were a victim of the hoax?” “Correct,” Kaufman replied.

    Regarding the hoax, Kaufman said, “I’m still processing it. As Andy’s brother, you learn over the years, you know, to go with the flow, kind of. So I have mixed emotions. I never allowed myself to get too excited, but I was always slightly skeptical.”

    As the latest reports of Andy Kaufman being alive somewhere began to spread Thursday, the Los Angeles County Coroner re-released Kaufman’s death certificate. “Andy Kaufman is dead,” the coroner’s office said in a statement. George Shapiro, Kaufman’s manager, was at the entertainer’s side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on the day he died, and stated, “Andy’s very much alive in our hearts, but I don’t think his body is around. He died. I was in the hospital.”

    Even Michael Kaufman was at his brother’s deathbed, and stated “I saw him emaciated. I saw him die.”

    Image via YouTube.

  • Jerry Lawler Hopes Andy Kaufman is Secretly Alive

    Former professional wrestler and current WWE color commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler says that he would like nothing better than to learn that the late comedian Andy Kaufman has secretly been alive for decades. Ever since Kaufman, the iconic entertainer, died of a rare form of lung cancer in 1984, there have been numerous conspiracy theories and rumors that the comedian faked his own death, with the latest emerging during this week’s annual Andy Kaufman Awards in New York City.

    Alongside Andy’s brother Michael, an unnamed woman, claiming to be the late actor’s daughter, declared that Kaufman was still alive, and that he’d planned to reveal himself at the event, but got cold feet at the last minute.

    Below is a TMZ clip of the bizarre revelation:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JWT34Yiqk

    Michael Kaufman went on to relay an incident involving a letter from Andy 15 years after his death, reading that his remergence would occur at a restaurant on Christmas Eve in 1999. Michael ended up going to the establishment in question, and was handed a note by the parking attendant, supposedly written by Andy.

    The letter read, “It was too much pressure to be Andy Kaufman. I just wanted to be Andy. I think that’s why I got sick. I had to change completely and quickly. I’m extremely very happily married with the most wonderful wife in the whole wide world and with the two greatest kids: a 10-year-old daughter and a son who is 8.”

    As any professional wrestler might do, Jerry Lawler quickly made a statement on the matter, telling CNN that (he) “would like nothing better than to know that Andy was still alive and been with us all this time. But like anybody else, I really don’t know any more than what I’ve heard. It could be a great hoax in his honor, dreamed up by his friend Bob Zmuda and his brother, Michael. That would be something that would be in keeping with Andy’s tradition, but who’s to say. It could really be legit.”

    In 1982, Lawler commenced a notorious feud with Kaufman, in protest of the comedian’s wrestling matches with women, which led to him declaring himself as being the Intergender Heavyweight Champion. A wrestling match, a couple of piledrivers, a hospital visit, a slap to the face and some spilled coffee ensued.

    Here’s a full clip of some of the antics on The Late Show with David Letterman.

    Years later, Lawler appeared as himself in the Kaufman biopic “Man on the Moon”; the movie revealed that Lawler’s feud with Kaufman had been staged. Lawler went on to reveal that the two were actually very good friends.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Andy Kaufman’s Brother, “Daughter” Claim He’s Alive

    After iconic entertainer Andy Kaufman died of a rare form of lung cancer in 1984, there have been numerous conspiracy theories and rumors that the comedian faked his own death since, with the latest emerging during this week’s annual Andy Kaufman Awards in New York City.

    Alongside Andy’s brother Michael, an unnamed woman, claiming to be the late actor’s daughter, declared that Kaufman was still alive, and that he’d planned to reveal himself at the event, but got cold feet at the last minute.

    Below is a TMZ clip of the revelation:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JWT34Yiqk

    The wide-eyed, rambling woman claimed that Kaufman has been spending his time being a stay-at-home dad, enjoying a quiet life outside the limelight. Michael Kaufman gave her a hug and allowed her to leave the stage quietly, before asking audience members to leave her be.

    Andrew Geoffrey “Andy” Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) described himself as being a “song-and-dance man.” Along with his role as Latka Gravas on the ABC sitcom “Taxi,” elaborate ruses, pranks and epic performance art pieces were major elements of his career. His career maintains a cult following and he continues to be revered for his original material, style and unflinching commitment to character.

    Kaufman had reportedly been open about his Machiavellian plan to fake his own death, and during the NYC awards segment, his brother said he still wasn’t sure if the actor was alive or not. Such outlandish theories sadly might make a bit of sense to a family member, considering how far Andy Kaufman would take some of his performance installations, as seen in his clip with wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler below:

    After being diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in 1983, Kaufman hoped to find a cure in “natural medicine,” which included a diet of fruits and vegetables exclusively. Kaufman also received standard palliative radiotherapy, but by that time the cancer had already spread from his lungs to his brain. His final attempt at a cure came through “psychic surgery,” a New Age procedure that was performed in Baguio, Philippines, in March 1984. This attempt was related in the 1999 Milos Forman biopic on Kaufman, “Man on the Moon,” starring Jim Carrey.

    Kaufman passed away in a hospital in West Hollywood on May 16, 1984, of kidney failure, caused by metastasized large-cell lung carcinoma. He was 35 years old.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.