The Real Paul McCartney Died Nov. 9, 1966. The Prank Went on Too Long

In an exclusive interview with the Hollywood Inquirer, Mr. Starr explained that the “real” Paul McCartney had died in a car crash on November 9 1966, after an argument during a Beatles’ recording session. To spare the public from grief, the Beatles replaced him with a man named William Shears Campbell, who was the winner of a McCartney look-alike contest and who happened to have the same kind of jovial personality as Paul. Paul's wife on an interview was very upset, she did not like this double thing and played it off for years, she was so ready to blow the top off of it, she called it criminal. You could tell she was rocking back and forth of the truth coming out, but I feel she feared what would happen to her if she did.