Michael Jackson was seen live and direct. He might not have d:ed but instead gone into hiding. A passenger who sat beside him took a picture of…

For some viewers, the resemblance may be uncanny.

For others, it may only become noticeable after someone points it out.

Either way, the image is likely to keep generating the same reaction:

“Wait… is that Michael Jackson?”

Look again, and the more reasonable explanation becomes clear.

Sometimes a stranger really does look remarkably like a celebrity.

Sometimes the camera catches exactly the right angle.

Sometimes nostalgia makes a familiar face appear where we least expect it.

And sometimes the internet simply finds a perfect photograph for a joke.

The passenger in Mexico may have given social media an unforgettable Michael Jackson look-alike moment.

But resemblance should not be confused with identity.

Michael Jackson died in Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, and the available official record provides no basis for claims that he secretly survived.

So the photograph is best enjoyed for what it appears to be:

An ordinary moment.

An extraordinary resemblance.

And another reminder that, on the internet, a single photograph can turn a stranger on a bus into the center of a mystery seen around the world.

Sources
Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner — official information on its responsibility for investigating and determining the circumstances, cause and manner of deaths within its jurisdiction.
Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, “Our Process” — explanation of death investigations, examinations, autopsies and laboratory testing.
Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, Public Services — information concerning Medical Examiner records, including records involving high-profile celebrity deaths.
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