Is Michael Jackson Alive?

Website claims Jackson 'still alive, in disguise'

A website that claims Michael Jackson is masquerading as a severely disfigured man has become an internet sensation, attracting over one million hits per day.

An administrator from michaeljacksonhoaxforum.com claims Jackson appeared on the Larry King talk show in disguise on the day of his funeral last year, The Sun newspaper reports.

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Hoax believers say Jackson is impersonating a man he befriended years ago — Dave Dave — who was severely burned in 1983 after his father doused him with kerosene and set him alight.
Dave, now 33 and living in Utah, said Jackson "accepted him" and "never let go".

"He took me into his life, which is very rare for Michael to do," he said.

Bloggers noted after Dave's appearance on the Larry King Show last year that his voice was of a similar pitch to Jackson's and that his mannerisms were the same.

Dave's eye colour also reportedly changed from green/blue to brown.

The comparisons have led to speculation that Dave's facial scarring would provide the perfect cover for Jackson, who died aged 50 in June last year.

Souza, an administrator from the hoax website, said: "Michael Jackson attended Larry King Live on the day of the funeral disguised as Dave Dave."

Souza runs the website with her friend Mo. They both call themselves "Death Hoax Investigators".

"The media told us two different stories," Souza was quoted as saying.

"TMZ.com reported he died six minutes before the doctor pronounced him dead, and CNN kept telling us he was in a coma ... what really happened still remains a mystery."

Dave's spokesman Brian Oxman rubbished the claims, saying the world was still grieving for Jackson.

"He was so remarkable that people find it difficult to believe he is no longer with us," Mr Oxman was quoted as saying.