A friend of kaufman s claims in a new book that the comedian faked his own death. The book made headlines with its assertion that kaufman faked his death as his greatest and most insane prank ever, and also that kaufman enjoyed having sex with men and may have died of aids. And, eventually, the homeless vietnam veteran, nathan mccoy, died in andy kaufman s stead, at cedarsinai medical center, on may 16th, 1984. Andy s writer bob zmuda claimed that andy had decided to fake his death, is alive and is going to return to the public. Stephen maddox and how andy kaufman faked his death. John landis i was so fascinated by the melding of andys and zmudas mind that i spent two years of my life making a movie about it. The venus flytrap, which closed after only two performances in april 1983. Because pranks and elaborate ruses were major elements of his career, persistent rumors have circulated that kaufman faked his own death as a grand hoax. Kaufman appeared alongside the singer deborah harry in the illfated broadway play teaneck tanzi. John landis i was so fascinated by the melding of andy s and zmudas mind that i spent two years of my life making a movie about it. The first time that this claim went out was during kaufman s 20th death anniversary in may 2004. His later standup routine was unorthodox, but it caught the attention of. Andy kaufmans writing partner bob zmuda reveals in his book.
Andrew geoffrey kaufman was an american entertainer, actor, writer, wrestler and performance artist. Zmuda hinted further that kaufman may have faked his death, while. Kaufmans fans believe that faking his death is exactly the kind of thing the comedian would do. Nov 14, 20 andy kaufman was one of those enigmatic envelope pushers who was always playing stunts to get a rise out of people. I had my own obituary in the new york times, abel, now 82, told the huffington post by phone from his home in connecticut.
He examines kaufmans every motive for playing dead, some of which are. The truth finally, a book that promises to pull back the curtain. Oct 16, 2014 his ny times obituary said he was survived by brother bruce spencer. Comedian andy kaufman faked his death, brother claims bbc. His friend and frequent collaborator, bob zmuda, released his book the truth, finally in 2015. Bob zmuda claims that andy swore him to secrecy about faking his death. The comedian obsessed over the details of how he faked his death, and he pumped abel for more information about how he pulled it off. Fans insist video shows comedian alive and well in new mexico. Bob zmuda on gilbert gottfrieds podcast provided a. Nov 14, 20 andy kaufman s faked death is looking more and more like a hoax perpetrated by the comedians brother. Kaufman s fans believe that faking his death is exactly the kind of thing the comedian would do. Kaufman was still alive and had faked his own death. Born in new york city on january 17, 1949, andy kaufman began performing at age 8.
A biopic was created about andy kaufman called man on the moon, starring jim carrey reliving andys life. Its rumoured kaufman faked his own death when he was alive, kaufman often said faking his own death would be the ultimate gag. Andy kaufman friend claims comedian faked his own death. I have much more fun fake news to share with you that will put a smile on your face, lighten up your heart and maybe even make milk shoot out of your nose. He claims the taxi star, who officially died of cancer in 1984, faked his own death to get away from being andy kaufman. May 30, 2004 andy kaufmans faked death is looking more and more like a hoax perpetrated by the comedians brother. Andy kaufman faked his own death and will be returning to public life on his 30th year death anniversary. There were rumors but i believe he has passed away. Andy kaufmans brother says he was taken in by fakeddeath. Top 10 nutty conspiracy theories involving celebrities. Also, my dads best friend i wont name names is also someone who, looking back, he. Andy kaufmans death and the faithful who say he faked. Dead or alive, marked the 20th anniversary of kaufmans death, a time period he told friends hed come back at if he ever faked his own death.
Rumors about andy kaufman returning to life are not new. For the first time ever, the two people who knew andy kaufman best open up about the most enigmatic artist of our generation. Andys close collaborator bob zmuda, who published a book several years ago, claiming, with minimal evidence, that andys death was a prank, and hed be revealing himself any. These videos were taken during that journey and these are my contributions towards finding out where andy kaufman lives, if he did indeed. Feb 18, 2016 when andy kaufman lost it on live television. The truth, finally, by andys bff, bob zmuda, and his last girlfriend, lynne margulies. When andy kaufman lost it on live television mental floss. Andy kaufman s faked death is looking more and more like a hoax perpetrated by the comedians brother. Andy kaufman s onetime right hand man got busted for dui. On the eve of a new netflix documentary, the enigmatic comedians brother and sister finally open upand. Lynne margulies, artist and filmmaker, was andy kaufman s partner, caretaker, and the love of his life until his death from lung cancer in 1984. You shouldnt believe michael kaufman, brother of late comedianselfproclaimed songanddance man andy kaufman, when he says he was taken in by last weeks andy faked hisown death hoax. But in 20 bizarre rumours began to surface that the funnyman had actually faked his own death.
February 20, 1981, andy kaufman sat down in a fake restaurant, delivered scripted lines, paused, and then shook himself out of character. As he will be the first to let you know, bob zmuda is a very important man. However, not long afterwards, the smoking gun website reported the young woman claiming to be andy kaufmans daughter, is none other than new yorkbased theater actress, alexandra tatarsky. He wasnt kaufmans best friend, but he was a friend of kaufman. Kaufman s writing partner, bob zmuda says 35yearold kaufman faked his own death in 1984 and will be returning sometime in the near future. Maddox then went on to explain to me that it was not andy who had technically broken the law with the fake death but stanley kaufman, andy. We had a special kinship, he says, explaining how they bonded over their pranks. Contacted by thr, michael kaufman said that the woman claiming to be kaufmans daughter. So even if kaufman successfully faked his death, he could have died in the meantime of something unrelated. Do these chilling pics prove five famous people faked. The camera pans over the crowd and reveals zmuda in the audience, hinting that maybe kaufman s death was actually fake, and he is still alive somewhere. So much so, in fact, that some people to this day believe he faked his death. Just after andy kaufman s brother told a new york comedy club crowd monday that the famed comedian known for having an obsession with faking his own death.
The truth finally, a book that promises to pull back the curtain on the real life of the bizarro comedy genius. Andy kaufmans brother blasts new book claiming comic died of. The official story was that he died in 1984 at the age of 35 from lung cancer. Milos forman zmuda offers what he calls a blowbyblow account of how andy kaufman faked his own. He was a comedian and often joked about the issue that he would soon fake his own death and come back years later but he died in 1984. Zmuda supported these speculations in his book the truth, finally, where he presents arguments that kaufman faked his own death and insists that he is still alive. He is, as he has doggedly chronicled through the decades, the man behind andy kaufman. Andy kaufman and his writing partner, bob zmuda, changed the worlds of comedy and performance in the 1970s, showing fans and friends alike a determination to follow putons into territory no one had ever even considered comic before. Andy kaufman s brother says comedian is alive, in love and has a daughter. Cult comedy star andy kaufman faked his own death in 1984 and is still alive, his brother has claimed. Dec 28, 2014 bob zmuda on the truth about andy kaufmans death. Courtney love portrayed margulies in the kaufman biopic man on the moon starring jim carrey. Comedian andy kaufman is alive and his 1984 death was an elaborate hoax, his brother michael and a woman who claims she is his 24yearold daughter said monday at the 9th annual andy kaufman awards in new york city. In his odd and rambling book, the truth, finally, zmuda lays out his argument that kaufman faked his own death.
Andys secrets are finally being revealed now that his parents have died, a publishing insider whispered to the. Trump is rarely likened to previous presidents, but is often accused of being a longdead performance artist. The funeral took place on may 19, 1984, three days after his death. It was a surprise for everyone when a tony clifton flashmob. The pictures taken in the philippines of andy receiving psychic surgery were allegedly for the purpose of fooling the tabloids. His death certificate and his gravesite are viewable online. If youve seen jim carrey in man on the moon youll know what im talking about. Stephen maddox and how andy kaufman faked his death youtube. The truth, finally, a book claiming that kaufmans death was indeed a prank, and that he would soon be revealing himself, as his upper limit on the prank was 30 years. However, the thirty years would have ended in 2014.
Only reason we mention that is because bobby pushed a theory in a book he wrote back in 2014 that andy had, in fact, faked. Andy kaufman is dead, but tony clifton still wants your applause. Nov 14, 20 cult comedy star andy kaufman faked his own death in 1984 and is still alive, his brother has claimed. I got eight inches of space, which is two more than the. Tony clifton, at the age of 45, died of cancer at cedarssinai hospital in hollywood, california. Oct 08, 2014 in fact, bob zmuda and lynne margulies have a new book, andy kaufman. Devoted fans of comedian andy kaufman are convinced the prankster faked his own death. Andy kaufman believers say hes alive after photos turn up.
Cult comedy star andy kaufman, best known for his role in taxi, faked his own death in 1984 and is still alive, his brother claims. Andy kaufmans posthumous reputation has grown in tandem with the rise of a cult that venerates him as a comedic god, and believes he is still. A friend of kaufmans claims in a new book that the comedian faked his own death. Nov 20, 20 you shouldnt believe michael kaufman, brother of late comedianselfproclaimed songanddance man andy kaufman, when he says he was taken in by last weeks andyfakedhisowndeath hoax. May 06, 2014 avid andy kaufman fans know how closely connected to andys career that bob zmuda was, and for that reason, a new book by zmuda on kaufman is likely to grab their attention. I didnt know kaufman most people dont, but my dad went to school with him.
A that kaufman faked his own death and b that trumps campaign is a gag with a. Andy told no less than fifteen people that he planned to fake his death. At this years andy kaufman awards at gotham comedy club, he introduced andy s supposed daughter, 24who explained that the late comedianperformance artist faked his death. Did andy kaufman fake his own death to escape the spotlight. Started out in show business working in various comedy clubs in the northeast in the early 1970s. Andy kaufmans brother says he was taken in by faked. Andy kaufman was one of the weirdest and most outthere comedians ever, performing dozens of stunts and inhabiting tons of awesomely weird characters before supposedly dying. Mar 31, 2015 in his odd and rambling book, the truth, finally, zmuda lays out his argument that kaufman faked his own death. A mysterious womans claims that she is the daughter of andy kaufman.
In 2014, zmuda and lynne margulies, kaufmans girlfriend at the time of his death, coauthored andy kaufman. Comedian andy kaufman faked his death, brother claims. His remains were returned to new york for interment at beth david cemetery. Oct 19, 2019 andy kaufmans onetime right hand man got busted for dui. One year later, in 1985, tony clifton appears at andy kaufman s memorial tribute at the comedy stores main stage performing, i will survive. Do you think that andy kaufman faked his own death. The book made headlines with its assertion that kaufman faked his death as his greatest and. The truth, finally by bob zmuda and lynne margulies is a sometimes silly look at the comedian who, according to zmuda and others, faked his death in 1984. In 1981, not long before his death, the real andy kaufman met alan abel, a professional hoaxer whod managed the impossible the year before. For the first time ever, the two people who knew andy kaufman best ope. Andy kaufmans brother says comedian is alive, in love and.
Kaufman, best known for playing the incompetent latka gravas on the 1970s sitcom taxi. It was no coincidence, zmuda reveals in a new book, andy kaufman. Could this be andy kaufman s best joke yet or just another hoax claiming the legendary comedian is still alive. Sep 28, 2014 could this be andy kaufmans best joke yet or just another hoax claiming the legendary comedian is still alive. He was then offered a spot on the inaugural broadcast of saturday night live. Their fervor was so intense that when kaufman passed away suddenly in 1984, it seemed as if his death had been staged, with the reveal soon to come. Zmuda and kaufmans longtime girlfriend, lynne margulies, have written andy kaufman. Of course, theres a good chance death is actually his latest, and greatest, stunt. The two supposedly plotted his death for three years before it happened. Andy kaufman was one of those enigmatic envelope pushers who was always playing stunts to get a rise out of people. Bob and andy worked together and lynne was his girlfriend at the time of his death.
As bob zmuda, kaufman s close pal and collaborator, has written in a recent book, it cannot be a coincidence that kaufman, famous for his ambivalence about fame, disappeared so suddenly. Kaufman died of lung cancer in 1984, at the age of 35. But those same fans, knowing kaufman and zmuda as well as they probably do, will also know better than to expect the truth, finally from this book. In fact, bob zmuda and lynne margulies have a new book, andy kaufman. The muchvaunted nathan mccoy which was the name of record of the patient who died at cedars sinai on may 16th, 1984, not andy kaufman since celebrities always use fake names, it wasnt questioned died in andys place. Is comedian andy kaufman alive, many years after faking his death. Bob zmuda bio net worth, book, wiki, partner, family. The first time that this claim went out was during kaufmans 20th death anniversary in may 2004. Jerry is quite the gentleman, zmuda wrote in his 1999 book andy. That and other sensesshattering revelations are detailed in a new book, andy kaufman. Im still going through the learning curve here on how to operate this idiot proof website. He was discovered by agentmanager george shapiro, who had picked up on his talent right away.
The great beyond, a documentary about man in the moon, the 1999 film about avant grade comedian. Andy kaufmans brother says comedian is alive, in love and has a. He examines kaufman s every motive for playing dead, some of. The world was really starting to believe that andy kaufman might still be alive, after the daughter incident. American comedian andy kaufman died suddenly from cancer in may 1984. Andy kaufmans brother blasts new book claiming comic died.
In 1980, legendary comedian andy kaufman and his writing partner, bob zmuda, wrote a script for a film called the tony clifton story, based. Only reason we mention that is because bobby pushed a theory in a book he wrote back in 2014 that andy had, in fact, faked his own. Contacted by thr, michael kaufman said that the woman claiming to be kaufman. He wasnt kaufman s best friend, but he was a friend of kaufman. So the kaufman conspiracy succeeds by patching together two theories that already have widespread traction. Services were at the nassau funeral home in great neck, ny his hometown. Jul 06, 2012 andy kaufman is dead, but tony clifton still wants your applause. Sep 28, 2014 in 1980, legendary comedian andy kaufman and his writing partner, bob zmuda, wrote a script for a film called the tony clifton story, based on a character of kaufmans. Oct 08, 2014 andy kaufman died of aids and was bisexual. Several speculations had also arisen after andy s death, saying that he was still alive and had faked his death. Or is it more likely that andy kaufman went to baguio in the philippines for psychic surgery by jun labo and never returned.
Andy kaufman is dead, but tony clifton still wants your. Andy kaufman is still alive and his death in 1984 was a hoax. Bob zmudas book is amazing if only for the insights it offers on andy kaufman, a man whose influence on comedy is still with us to this today. Oct 10, 20 taking the stage, andy kaufman tell jokes, does impressions, gets flustered and finally breaks down in tears before winning over the crowd by creating rhythmic music using his own squeals and a. Is donald trump really just andy kaufman in disguise. Posted on october 16, 2014 updated on december 3, 2014.
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