17 Historical Figures Who Faked Their Own Deaths
Disappearing from public life has always held a certain appeal for people tired of fame, fortune, or the consequences of their actions. Some historical figures found the pressure of their circumstances so overwhelming that they chose the ultimate escape route — staging their own demise.
Others did it to avoid prosecution, start fresh somewhere else, or simply vanish from a world that had become too complicated. The art of faking one’s demise requires careful planning, loyal accomplices, and usually a bit of luck.
Here is a list of 17 historical figures who allegedly orchestrated their own disappearance from the world stage.
Lord Lucan
Richard John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, vanished in November 1974 after his family’s nanny was found murdered in his London home. Police wanted to question him about the attack that also left his estranged wife severely injured.
Lucan’s car was discovered abandoned near the English Channel, but his body never surfaced — leading to decades of reported sightings everywhere from Africa to Australia.
D.B. Cooper
The man who called himself Dan Cooper (media reports mistakenly added the ‘D.B.’) hijacked a Boeing 727 in 1971, collected $200,000 in ransom money, then parachuted into the stormy night over Washington state. He wore a business suit and black tie, politely ordered bourbon and soda, and treated the flight crew with unusual courtesy for a criminal.
Despite the FBI’s longest-running investigation, Cooper was never found — dead or alive.
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Amelia Earhart
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe with navigator Fred Noonan. Official records state they ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean near Howland Island.
However, numerous theories suggest Earhart survived the crash, lived under an assumed identity, or was captured by Japanese forces — though concrete evidence remains elusive.
Jim Morrison
The Doors frontman officially died in Paris in July 1971, but no autopsy was performed and only a handful of people claimed to see his body. Morrison had spoken frequently about wanting to disappear and start over as a writer, away from the pressures of rock stardom.
Some fans believe he staged his demise to escape fame, though most historians accept that he actually died from heart failure related to substance abuse.
Andy Kaufman
Comedian Andy Kaufman died of lung cancer in 1984 at age 35, yet persistent rumors suggest his demise was just another elaborate performance piece. Kaufman had previously joked about faking his own passing and returning years later to surprise everyone.
His friend Bob Zmuda claimed Kaufman had discussed the idea seriously, and some witnesses reported seeing him alive after his supposed burial date.
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Tupac Shakur
The rapper’s 1996 shooting in Las Vegas sparked countless conspiracy theories about whether he actually perished that night. Fans point to cryptic lyrics in posthumously released songs, alleged sightings in various countries, and the fact that he recorded enough material before his demise to release albums for years afterward.
While official records confirm his passing, the theories persist among devoted followers.
Alexander the Great
Some historians argue that Alexander didn’t actually die in Babylon in 323 BCE but instead faked his passing to escape the enormous pressures of ruling a vast empire. This theory suggests he retreated to a monastery or remote location to live out his days in peace.
The evidence is thin, though — most credible sources indicate he died from illness or poisoning at age 32.
Jesse James
The notorious outlaw was supposedly shot and killed by fellow gang member Robert Ford in 1882, but some researchers claim James orchestrated his own apparent demise. They argue that an innocent man was killed in his place while James escaped to live quietly under an assumed name.
Several men later claimed to be the real Jesse James, though DNA evidence from his exhumed remains has largely debunked these theories.
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Martin Bormann
Hitler’s powerful deputy disappeared during the fall of Berlin in May 1945, leading to decades of speculation about whether he escaped to South America or died in the rubble. Soviet records claimed they found his remains, but Western intelligence agencies weren’t convinced for years.
DNA testing in 2009 finally confirmed that bones found near the bunker belonged to Bormann, ending the mystery.
Butch Cassidy
Robert Leroy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, allegedly died in a shootout with Bolivian police in 1908 alongside his partner Harry Longabaugh (the Sundance Kid). However, family members and some historians claim Cassidy actually survived and returned to the United States under various aliases.
He supposedly lived quietly in the Pacific Northwest until the 1930s, though definitive proof remains elusive.
John Wilkes Booth
Official records state that Lincoln’s assassin was shot and killed in a Virginia barn twelve days after the president’s murder. Some conspiracy theorists argue that someone else died in Booth’s place while the real assassin escaped to live elsewhere.
A man named John St. Helen claimed to be Booth years later, confessing on his deathbed — though historians generally dismiss these claims as fantasy.
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Howard Hughes
The eccentric billionaire became increasingly reclusive in his later years, leading some to wonder if his 1976 demise was genuine or staged. Hughes had the resources and motivation to disappear completely, given his obsessive privacy concerns and legal troubles.
While his passing appears legitimate, the mystery surrounding his final years has fueled persistent speculation about whether he truly died when official records claim.
Glenn Miller
The big band leader’s plane disappeared over the English Channel in December 1944 while he was traveling to perform for Allied troops in France. Miller’s body was never recovered, leading to theories that he survived the crash or faked his disappearance for personal reasons.
Some researchers suggest he was involved in secret wartime activities, though most evidence points to a tragic accident rather than a staged disappearance.
Anastasia Romanov
Several women claimed to be the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II after the Romanov family’s execution in 1918. The most famous pretender, Anna Anderson, insisted for decades that she had escaped the basement massacre in Ekaterinburg.
DNA testing eventually proved that all the Romanov children died with their parents, but the mystery captivated public imagination for nearly a century.
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Rudolf Hess
Hitler’s deputy führer flew to Scotland in 1941 on what he claimed was a peace mission, though many historians believe he was trying to defect or escape Nazi Germany. After the war, he spent the rest of his life in Spandau Prison, dying in 1987 under circumstances that some consider suspicious.
Conspiracy theorists argue that a body double was imprisoned while the real Hess lived elsewhere, though evidence supporting this theory is weak.
Judge Crater
New York Supreme Court Justice Joseph Force Crater disappeared in August 1930 after leaving a Manhattan restaurant, becoming one of the era’s most famous missing persons cases. Crater had been involved in various political scandals and may have staged his disappearance to avoid prosecution or embarrassment.
Despite extensive investigations and numerous tips over the decades, his fate remains unknown.
Ambrose Bierce
The American writer and Civil War veteran disappeared in Mexico in 1914 while reportedly traveling with Pancho Villa’s revolutionary army. Bierce was 71 years old and had written to friends about wanting to die in battle rather than fade away from old age.
Some believe he staged his disappearance to control how he would be remembered, while others think he simply died in the chaos of the Mexican Revolution.
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Vanishing Acts That Endure
These alleged cases of faked demise reveal humanity’s fascination with reinvention and escape from the consequences of fame or infamy. Whether driven by legal troubles, personal pressures, or simply the desire for privacy, these figures chose disappearance over facing their realities.
While most probably did die when historical records claim, the persistent mysteries surrounding their fates show how powerful the idea of starting over truly remains, and why the fantasy of disappearing completely continues to capture our collective imagination across centuries.
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