Disclaimer: The information below is posted as an answer to the many YouTube channels and websites that in my opinion are promoting false information. Many loyal fans are uncomfortable with even mentioning the "Paul is Dead" (PID) hoax and feel it should just be ignored, and rightly so... I couldn't agree more.... but unfortunately I've come across numerous sites online whose creators are appearing on radio talk shows promoting the false information and gaining followers. After seeing a fake 1966 death entry for Paul on findagrave (a reputable website), and a video of a group of people trespassing on Paul's private property in Scotland looking for "clues" I was concerned and felt led to share the information below, hoping the facts can speak for themselves, and that the PID followers will realize they've been misinformed. After posting information on this thread, I'll have felt I've posted what I'm supposed to, and won't need to discuss this subject after that. Thank you for your patience. Hopefully this post can be found when someone does a google search on the subject.
The Real "Billy Shepherd"...
The "Paul is Dead" hoax of the late 1960s promoted the false idea that Paul left us in 1966, and was replaced by a lookalike named William "Billy" Shepherd (also sometimes called Billy Campbell).
This is the identity of the real "Billy Shepherd": That name was a pseudonym for the writer Peter Jones, who wrote The True Story of the Beatles, and also wrote articles for The Beatles Monthly Book. After working with the Beatles, Jones became a freelance writer and lived happily in London with his wife Barbara and two sons until his death on July 10, 2015 at the age of 85. His obituary was published in The New York Times and other newspapers.
The person(s) who invented the "Paul is Dead" hoax must have gotten the name "Billy Shepherd" after seeing articles written by Peter Jones (under the Shepherd pseudonym) in The Beatles Monthly Book and the book The True Story of the Beatles.
Obituary for Peter Jones - The Guardian
Peter Jones obituary
Music journalist and author who wrote the earliest biographies of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones
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"Peter Jones interviewing Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Jones wrote for the Beatles Monthly Book under the pen-name Billy Shepherd."