After iconic entertainer Andy Kaufman died of a rare form of lung cancer in 1984, there have been numerous conspiracy theories and rumors that the comedian faked his own death since, with the latest emerging during this week’s annual Andy Kaufman Awards in New York City.

Alongside Andy’s brother Michael, an unnamed woman, claiming to be the late actor’s daughter, declared that Kaufman was still alive, and that he’d planned to reveal himself at the event, but got cold feet at the last minute.

Below is a TMZ clip of the revelation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8JWT34Yiqk

Now it’s been revealed that the “daughter” is actually a 24-year-old actress named Alexandra Tatarsky, and that her father is a 58-year-old psychologist. The Smoking Gun reported that Michael Kaufman met her earlier this year at a Manhattan art gallery, and hired her to pose as his brother’s daughter.

Kaufman denied the whole thing, telling CNN’s Jake Tapper that he believes he’s part of a hoax, and that he didn’t think Tatarsky had been “acting on her own, though,” adding, “that’s all I know.” Tapper grilled Kaufman:”Just to reiterate, you now don’t think that it’s true – you think that this is a hoax and you were a victim of the hoax?” “Correct,” Kaufman replied.

Regarding the hoax, Kaufman said, “I’m still processing it. As Andy’s brother, you learn over the years, you know, to go with the flow, kind of. So I have mixed emotions. I never allowed myself to get too excited, but I was always slightly skeptical.”

As the latest reports of Andy Kaufman being alive somewhere began to spread Thursday, the Los Angeles County Coroner re-released Kaufman’s death certificate. “Andy Kaufman is dead,” the coroner’s office said in a statement. George Shapiro, Kaufman’s manager, was at the entertainer’s side at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on the day he died, and stated, “Andy’s very much alive in our hearts, but I don’t think his body is around. He died. I was in the hospital.”

Even Michael Kaufman was at his brother’s deathbed, and stated “I saw him emaciated. I saw him die.”

Image via YouTube.