The TikTok account named "bejevet"" released a video yesterday (February 13) claiming that former singer Michael Jackson is alive and that he is now known as "Dave Dave."
In this video, the author claims that "Dave Dave", who is seen with damaged (burned) facial skin, is Michael Jackson, who died on June 25, 2009. (see here)
After verifying the facts, hibrid.info has confirmed that the person appearing in this video is the conceptual artist, David Charles Rothenberg, known by the stage name "Dave Dave", who at the age of 6 had suffered third-degree burns to his skin, caused by his father. (see here)
Link to the article published on TikTok by the "bejevete" account:
The video material used by the "bejevete" website was taken from the "Larry King Live" show, on which Dave Dave was a guest.
After research conducted through online search engines, hibrid.info has managed to find parts of the show "Larry King Live" published on YouTube (no earlier than September 4, 2009). (see here)
It should be noted that "Dave Dave" died at the age of 42 in 2018. (see here)
Dave Dave was invited to the "Larry King Live" show as a friend of pop music legend Michael Jackson, whom he had said he considered a father figure.
"Larry King Live" aired this show after Michael Jackson's death. This detail is visible in the lower right corner of the screen where it says Death of a Legend. (see photo below)
The episode of this show was published on YouTube by the channel "PoliticsNewsPolitics" on September 4, 2009, after Jackson's death.
Analyze:
The TikTok account "bejevete" has published a video from the show "Larry King Live", in which a person named Dave Dave is seen, who claims to be former singer Michael Jackson.
After verifying the facts, the person seen in this video is conceptual artist David Charles Rothenberg, known by the stage name "Dave Dave", who died at the age of 42 in 2018.
Based on the working methodology, hibrid.info evaluates this video material as a "Conspiracy Theory".
Reasoning:
"Conspiracy theories" are media reports that disseminate a false or unverifiable description of a phenomenon, event, or person, presenting it as part of or the result of a secret plan ("conspiracy"). A characteristic of these reports is that they present a series of claims, presented as facts, between which cause-effect relationships are established, without providing any credible evidence.