Question: What is the major "Paul is dead" conspiracy theory?
Answer: There are endless variations, but the main version of the "Paul Is Dead" story contends that Paul was killed in a car crash on Wednesday, November 9, 1966, after storming out of a band argument. The crash was caused by a slick road (and, some add, an unhinged fan or meter maid named Rita who Paul picked up hitchhiking). Not noticing that the lights had changed, Paul was hit by another car, but burned to death inside his own car while a crowd of onlookers, helpless, watched him die. His face was obliterated and his teeth knocked out in the crash and fire, making identification impossible. (Some versions also claim he was decapitated.)
Realizing that too much was at stake to disband, the other members of the group, along with manager Brian Epstein, concocted a fake "Paul look-alike contest" to find someone who could take his place. That someone turned out to be William Campbell (or William Shepherd), who underwent extensive plastic surgery to make him look like Paul McCartney, resulting in a permanent scar over his lip and differently-shaped eyebrows. The band was naturally forced to stop touring so that fans couldn't tell the difference; the new "Paul," likewise, had to dump Jane Asher and get a "new" girlfriend (Linda Eastman). Meanwhile, the remaining Beatles decided to drop clues in their lyrics and on their album covers, so that real fans could discover the truth!
