Although he was reported to have died in 1984 of lung cancer, and a copy of his death certificate is available online, comedian Andy Kaufman may still be alive today and living away from the spotlight with family, at least according to his brother, the Huffington Post reports.
Known for concocting elaborate pranks during his career that often confused and frustrated his fans, Kaufman's brother, Michael, and alleged daughter insisted to a crowd at the Andy Kaufman Awards on Monday that the legendary comedian faked his own death to escape from stardom and lead a normal life. Michael claimed that he received a letter from his brother in 1999 confirming that he was still alive and living with a wife and daughter, and would soon reappear at a restaurant on Christmas Eve.
Michael said that while Andy never showed up, he had another guest speaker for the audience, a woman who claimed to be Andy's 24-year-old daughter.
"He just wanted to be a stay-at-home dad, that's why he wanted to leave the showbiz," the woman told the crowd, according to BBC News. "He's pretty much a great dad, and raised us. My mom has her own business...He helps her with that kind of thing, paperwork and stuff, so he can work from home and he doesn't have to be hiding out [or] concealing himself. He just makes us food and takes care of the house."
The alleged daughter, however, may be an actress, as if she is 24-years-old, that would she was born after Kaufman died. It could also mean that Andy Kaufman may not really be dead, and could have had her after he was reported to have died from lung cancer at Cedars Sinai hospital, on May 16, 1984.
At the Andy Kaufman Awards, comedian Killy Dwyer wrote on her Facebook page that "the entire room was freaked out. I get that it is - could - might all be a hoax.... [but] it was as real as anything I've ever seen. There is video. It was chilling, upsetting and absolutely intriguing."
"I witnessed the entire thing and I can tell you without a doubt this was not a prank," Award show producer Al Parinello told The Hollywood Reporter, and Ed Cavanagh, manager at the Gotham Comedy Club, where the award show took place, confirmed that "you could see by the look on [Michael's] face that it had an emotional impact on him," though he told THR that he is "50/50" on whether or not this too is a prank.
Michael and the alleged daughter's claims support a portion of Kaufman's fanbase who have always believed that his death was a hoax, and have even created an elaborate and high-trafficked conspiracy website detailing multiple theories.
When asked by Michael whether or not he will reveal himself soon, the 24-year-old woman responded, "I don't know what to say. I mean, he was really thinking about coming."
*UPDATE: According to SplitSider, the "reveal" of Kaufman's daughter at the awards ceremony was a hoax. The 24-year-old woman who took the stage and claimed to be related to the comedian has been identified as New York actress Alexandra Tatarsky, whose real father is a New York doctor. Kaufman's only known daughter was born in 1969, and as for the letter that brother Michael claimed to have found in his attic, it was also a fake, as Michael reportedly recuited Tatarsky for the stunt.
