The claims were made by YouTube channel Fact5, which highlighted a mysterious old painting which appears to have the face of Jackson. Portrait of a Young Man by Barent Fabritius, which hangs in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt, Germany, was painted in the 1600s. It is said to look uncannily like Jackson. Even more creepy, says the channel, is an Egyptian statue, housed in The Field Museum in Chicago, which also appears to have Jackson's face.

YouTube The statue (left) and compared to Michael Jackson's face (right)

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The video narrator says: “Have you ever heard the quote, ‘Good painting is like good cooking, it can be tasted but not explained’? “Well, can you explain this similarity, between Michael Jackson and this anonymous painting?" “If you thought that this was similar, this mysterious statue also bears some resemblance to the king of pop. “It appears that Michael had done some time travelling throughout his time.” The theory being that Jackson went back in time to various eras and was immortalised by the ancient Egyptians and later by the painter.

YouTube Michael Jackson (right) compared to the painting from the 1600s.

If you thought that this was similar, this mysterious statue also bears some resemblance to the king of pop. Fact5

He is not the first celebrity to have turned up apparently in famous artwork, with dopplegangers for Nicholas Cage and John Travolta among a host of others. The US pop legend's death plunged the world into mourning back in 2009. The millionaire megastar had been preparing for a comeback tour when he was found unresponsive in his LA home and declared dead at the age of 48. Last year bizarre claims began circulating Jackson was still alive after he was spotted in a selfie taken by his daughter Paris. But, people reacted to the new claims of time travel with amazement and hilarity.

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