Why do celebrity deaths spark wild conspiracy theories? Blame QAnon – Queen Elizabeth, Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and Elvis Presley always draw speculation, but social media has made it worse

Dec 9 , 2022

From Coolio to Queen Elizabeth, celebrity deaths spark more conspiracy theories these days than ever before. Photos: AFP, TNS, Getty Images, @hm.queenelizabeth/Instagram

It’s increasingly common for far-right circles in the US to use celebrity deaths as fodder to push their own agendas on Telegram and Twitter – such as the claim that Donald Trump is a secret ‘saviour’

Anti-vaxxers, QAnon adherents and others have fantastical reasons for the queen’s death; influencers also said actress Anne Heche’s death was an assassination to cover up Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes

Immediately after 59-year-old American rapper Coolio died in late September, far-right circles in the US lit up with baseless conspiracy theories about his death.

Some falsely claimed the he was killed because he had secret intelligence about the inner-workings of the music industry and was going to expose elites for human trafficking. Others spread anti-vaccine misinformation that the Covid-19 vaccine killed him.

US rapper and actor Coolio was taken into custody at an LAX terminal after he was found with narcotics while going through security before boarding a Southwest Airlines flight in 2009. Photo: AFP

Only a minute after announcing Coolio’s death on his podcast TimCast, commentator Tim Pool began referencing recent heart disease-related deaths and suggesting Coolio’s was abnormal.

“You’re not allowed to ask any questions about that,” Richie McGinniss, a Daily Caller video editor who was a guest on the show, told Pool. “This programme was brought to you by Pfizer,” he added, sarcastically referencing the pharmaceutical corporation.

Coolio’s death theories are the latest in a string of conspiracies surrounding celebrity deaths that has appeared to escalate with each famous person’s passing. The deaths of everyone from actors Bob Saget and Anne Heche to rapper DMX and Queen Elizabeth have been folded into the lore of conspiracy movements.

Grammy-winning rapper Coolio’s passing has prompted conspiracy theories surrounding his death by far-right groups. Photo: Reuters

Although the deaths of celebrities, who are some of the most visible people in society, have always been fuel for conspiracies – myths surrounding Elvis Presley and Princess Diana’s deaths that still persist – it now seems that anyone with any degree of fame is no longer allowed to die a natural death.

Instead, dead celebrities are increasingly being co-opted by far-right internet users, including QAnon communities – an American political conspiracy theory and political movement that originated in the American far-right political sphere in 2017 – and anti-vaccine groups, to rally people to their cause.

People are still debating the cause of Elvis Presley’s death. Photo: @elvis_presley___fans/Instagram