Andy Kaufman, the comedian who is thought to have died in 1984, might have faked his own death, according to both his brother and a 24-year-old woman who claims to be his daughter.

When Kaufman reportedly passed away from cancer at the age of 35, there had been speculation that his death had been his last great stunt. Throughout his career, Kaufman repeatedly made comments about the idea of faking his own death. He also frequently mentioned his desire to escape the fame that he’d earned.

Kaufman’s surviving brother Michael Kaufman, while speaking at the Andy Kaufman Awards in NYC on Nov. 11, added fuel to the undying rumor of his cancer and death being a hoax. Michael Kaufman claimed that he’s since received two letters from Andy in 1999, one of which explained that he was living with a woman he loved and with whom he has a daughter.

“Everything was great in his life and he just wanted to get away from being Andy Kaufman,” Michael Kaufman said.

After Michael Kaufman announced the existence of the daughter, the 24-year-old woman came on stage. "He just wanted to be a stay-at-home dad, because that's why he wanted to leave the show biz," she said in a video obtained by TMZ. "I know don't know how much longer he can keep everything away," she added. "He was really thinking about coming."

Another Kaufman Hoax?

While people in attendance, including Al Parinello, were convinced it wasn’t a hoax, the reported identity of the young woman makes it increasingly likely. The woman onstage was an aspiring New York actress named Alexandra Tatarsky, according to The Smoking Gun. Tatarsky, whose father works as a psychologist not a comedian, allegedly met Michael Kaufman at a gallery in Manhattan where the hoax was plotted.

Neither Kaufman or his alleged accomplice have confirmed or denied rumors that they pranked the audience with their “confirmation” of Andy Kaufman’s death hoax.

– Chelsea Regan

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