The Ten Greatest False Rumors in Pop History

As Justin Bieber dodges heat from the probably-not-all-that-true accusations of his having knocked up poor Mariah Yeater on a shelf in a backstage bathroom a few years back—”I know I’m going to be a target, but I refuse to be a victim,” says a determined and well-coached Bieber in response—he can take solace in the knowledge that plenty of pop stars that preceded him have had to deal with similarly weird and false rumors. From fake pregnancies to premature demises to sexually motivated voluntary surgeries, pop stars have been subject to scandalous accusations and wacky conspiracy theories ever since the singer for the biggest band in the world was supposedly killed in a car accident in the late ’60s. Here are our ten favorite entirely inaccurate pop and rock rumors.