Andy Kaufman's Hangin' With Elvis
No matter what you hear, the legendary comedian died in 1984
It seems that the aggressive promotion of "Man on the Moon," the new film about Andy Kaufman, has included the launch of a purportedly independent web site claiming that the comic faked his death and, like Elvis and Tupac, is still alive.
"Guerrilla marketing" like this (which was key to the success of "The Blair Witch Project") aims to manufacture buzz before the movie, which stars Jim Carrey, opens on December 22.
But, in this case, it seems rather cynical, since Kaufman most certainly died on May 16, 1984 in Cedars Sinai Hospital, as this copy of his death certificate shows (the document is on file with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services).
TSG believes that, in the long and sleazy history of motion picture promotion, this is the first use of renal failure as a marketing tool. (1 page)
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