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Woman claiming to be Andy Kaufman’s daughter says he’s alive

Andy Kaufman in a scene from 'Taxi.'.

TORONTO — Rumours that comic actor Andy Kaufman faked his death 29 years ago were reignited this week when a 24-year-old woman came forward claiming to be his daughter.

“I’m not trying to prove anything,” the unidentified woman said at the Andy Kaufman Awards at Gotham Comedy Club in New York City.

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Standing on stage with Kaufman’s brother Michael, the woman claimed the Taxi star is alive and well and helping run her mother’s home business.

“He’s a great dad,” she said. “He makes us food and takes care of the house.”

Kaufman’s death certificate indicates he died in 1984 of lung cancer at the age of 35.

The bizarre twist in Kaufman’s story was first reported Tuesday by The Comic’s Comic.

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Michael Kaufman claimed he received a letter in 1999 in which his brother allegedly said he had fallen in love with a woman and the couple was raising a daughter. The letter said Kaufman simply wanted to “get away from being Andy Kaufman.”

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