Andy Kaufman Returns After 20 Years

[on:]

possibly the best media prank of all time?

Wed May 19, 9:00 AM ET

New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years."

Andy Kaufman's official site has been launched at: http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com/

Even though he has technically returned, Andy says that he plans to maintain his low key lifestyle that he has led for the past twenty years. He has resumed contact with friends and family. Fearing the possibility of this scenario and the potential for another hoax, Kaufman's family has contracted with independent auditors Ernst & Young to determine if this in fact the real Andy Kaufman. He has subjected himself to medical examination and submitted DNA, hair, blood and fingerprint samples to the auditors. Ernst & Young and the Kaufman family report that with a 99% probability, this is indeed the real Andy Kaufman. His mother says, "It's good to have Andy back."

In 1999, a new crop of Kaufman fans were born after Jim Carrey starred in the hit film Man on the Moon. "Andy's bizarre mix of comedy and performance art will inspire fans and comedians alike for generations, especially after this stunt," says Jim Carrey.

Andy says he will make only occasional public appearances, sometimes in disguise so that you won?t know if it?s really him or someone else. Kaufman was famous for pulling this stunt with the Tony Clifton character, sometimes played by good friend Bob Zmuda.

Andy says fans should tune into his website for ongoing updates to his adventures in life. As always, Andy's stage has been the world, testing the boundaries of our beliefs, our sources of information, and our perception of reality. "It's good to be back," Andy writes on his website.
 http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040519/234/726q1.html

[Reply #1 on:]

It's a hoax.  He's actually still dead, and just faking being alive.

[Reply #2 on:]

Like davie.

[Reply #3 on:]

perhaps davie should sue this kaufman for stealing his idea...   

then again, this might backfire..

[Reply #4 on:]

Didn't Davie steal it off FishyJoe first?   

[Reply #5 on:]

In the end, they all stole it from Jesus!

And one day, Jesus will come back to sue them all! 

[Reply #6 on:]

I don't see how he could pull that off for 20 years. I mean, you got to leave the house for something right?

[Reply #7 on:]

well, the whole thing is based on the fact that kaufman apparently stated that he would return 20 years after his death...

[Reply #8 on:]

Even if it were real? Who cares?

Andy Kaufman can suck my balls, he was never all that important.

Now, if Kenedy had faked his death, it would have been much cooler.

[Reply #9 on:]

Jokes on me.

I'm cool with that.

[Reply #10 on:]

I had a feeling he would return... he had said a long time before he "died" that if he was supposed to fake his own death, he'd reappear after 20 years.
I love that guy.

[Reply #11 on:]

Snopes claims that it is a hoax... and I'm inclined to believe them more than a press release and a random blog.

[Reply #12 on:]

Hey, maybe he's partying with Tupac and Elvis.

[Reply #13 on:]

From what I've seen in Man on the Moon (I wasn't born to see his work,besides the ocassional Taxi rerun)he liked to fool the people, but I don't know. I'll wait until the mayor news sites start reporting it. And also, waiting 20 years only to reappear in a blog in the Internet is not the greatest strategy ever. Probably Bob Zmuda is behind this.

[Reply #14 on:]

Possibly so, and I'm not really convinced yet- but something is weird about this whole affair...

[Reply #15 on:]

This is what makes Andy Kaufman so awesome; The fact that he was supposed to be dead for the last 20 years, and when someone releases a press release saying he's not no one knows if they should believe it or not. We'll probably find out tomorrow that he was an extra in "Man On The Moon".

[Reply #16 on:]

If it does turn out to be true than i have even less respect for that bastard then i did previously.

[Reply #17 on:]

There's only one way to settle this.  Dig up his grave and see what's inside.  THat'll put an end to it.

And if Kaufman was alive, that would be kinda neat.

[Reply #18 on:]

 

Originally posted by evan:
There's only one way to settle this.  Dig up his grave and see what's inside. 

I'll get my kit!

[Reply #19 on:]

Can't this board go just ONE thread without someone digging up a corpse?

[Reply #20 on:]

Uh, no. It's an addiction.

[Reply #21 on:]

It should be all over the news networks by now if it were true. I'm sure it's a hoax. But a pretty good one. 

[Reply #22 on:]

Well, let us assume that it is all true and Andy is finally back. Let us assume it is not a hoak for just a moment.
That said: Welcome back, Andy! Yay!
And THAT said: Yeah... probably a hoax ;-;
If Man on the Moon was at all accurate[that's all I know about him, that and what I read in Zmuda's book, which is REALLY entertaining], I .love the guy.

[Reply #23 on:]

It has been confirmed it's a hoax:

Clicky.

[Reply #24 on:]

Well, as long as this thread is open. What's your favorite Andy Kaufman moment?

I've always loved the apperence with Jerry Lawler on Late Night with David Letterman. I bought a tape of that segment off eBay a few years ago, and since then I've watched it about a hundred times. Of course it helps that I'm both a big wrestling, and David Letterman fan.

[Reply #25 on:]

The one with the "Pile Driver", huh? 

I think that's my favorite, too. Although I haven't seen to much original footage of Andy. Just bits and pieces over the years.

Maybe this incident or the 20th anniversary of his death will inspire some studio to release some of that stuff on DVD.

[Reply #26 on:]

I always liked Mighty Mouse.. and in Man on the Moon when the exec hits the TV because of 'interference' that Andy put in.. Genius.

[Reply #27 on:]

I'd never heard of him before seeing the movie, and I've still never seen anything else but I loved that movie....Andy was a comic genius from what I can gather....

Pity it turned out to be a hoax, that would have been cool in a way....