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38                                   45 Celebrity Death Hoaxes





            Celebrity Death Hoaxes:                       relationship, there's always been things that  "The Script Kiddies" and posted that President
                                                          have been said that were totally not true, but this  Obama had been assassinated during an Iowa
             45 Famous People Who                         just, like, took it to a whole 'nother planet."  event.

             Were Reported Dead…                          Avril Lavigne - Rumors began circulating in    Lindsay Lohan - A tweak to Lohan's Wikipedia

                      But Weren’t                         April 2003 that the "Complicated' singer killed  page in July 2011 cited her death and credited
                                                          herself after her grandfather's death.  And in  E! News as their source – which was false. But
                                                          2017, Twitter gave new fuel to that fire, igniting  the news spread, thanks to a fake Kim
            From premature obituaries                     a conspiracy theory that the Lavigne known     Kardashian Twitter account.
                                                          today is actually look-alike singer Melissa
             to hoaxes and conspiracy                     Vandella.  As the theory goes, the suits at    Justin Bieber  - If you believe social media,

            theories, these stars turned                  Lavigne's label cooked up a cover-up scheme of  Bieber has been "dead" more times than you can
                                                          her supposed death so they could continue to   count.  There were suicide rumors in 2009
               out to be alive and well                   release her songs.                             (which resurfaced in 2010), along with a
                                                                                                         shooting in a nightclub and an overdose. Then
                       Rosemary Rossi                     Will Ferrell - A fake press release posted on the  there was #RIPJustinBieber, which trended on
                                                          iNewswire Web site in March 2006 claimed that  Twitter in March 2012.
          In that race to be first on the page, sometimes  Ferrell was killed in a paragliding accident in
          the media accidentally speaks too soon in       Southern California when a wind gust caused    Eddie Murphy - The actor/comedian has been
          reporting the deaths of celebrities and public  him to lose control and crash into trees.      the subject of false reports of his death more
                                                                                                         than once. On Aug. 30, 2012, he has was said to
          figures. And sometimes it's not an accident, in
                                                          Steve Jobs - Bloomberg's obit of Apple founder  have been killed in a snowboard accident and,
          which the media or the public is often duped
                                                          Steve Jobs three years before his death in 2008  most recently, was again the subject of internet
          due to ill-advised jokes, conspiracies or hoaxes,
                                                          was especially glaring considering that it was 17  buzz after the death of his brother Charlie lead
          many of which went viral until people put the
                                                          pages long.  The article had been updated but  to mistaken identity.
          rumors to rest. From slips of the tongue to
                                                          was then accidentally published. The news even
          premature obituaries, here are some celebrities
          who were initially reported dead, even though at  briefly  rattled  Wall  Street   investors.  George Soros - Reuters accidentally published
          the time they were alive and well.              Bloomberg's correction however didn't even list  their premature obituary for billionaire George
                                                          Jobs by name.                                  Soros on April 18, 2013, writing he had "died
                                                                                                         XXX at age XXX." Reuters retracted the article
          Paul McCartney - Conspiracy-loving Beatles
                                                          Nick Jonas - The pop singer-turned-actor was   and issued a correction: "Reuters erroneously
          fans believe that McCartney died in 1966 and
                                                          the victim of death hoaxes twice in 2009. One  published an advance obituary of financier and
          everything that's happened to "him" since then
                                                          report said he died of cardiac arrest due to   philanthropist George Soros. A spokesman for
          is courtesy of a look-alike and sound-alike. Not
                                                          complications with his diabetes, while another  Soros said that the New York-based financier is
          only that, they believe clues to McCartney's fate
                                                          said his heart stopped after a lap dance in a  alive and well. Reuters regrets the error."
          were revealed in songs written by fellow
          musicians George Harrison and John Lennon.      Dallas strip club.
          Like, Lennon's "A Day in the Life," where the                                                  Celine Dion - Never-ending rumors of Dion's
          lyrics "Paul is dead, miss him, miss him"… are  Taylor Swift - Apparently, 2009 was not a good  death on social media do not sit well with the
                                                          year for Swift. She was said to have been in a  singer, in great part because each time one
          said to be heard only when the song is played
                                                          fatal car accident and then, months later, died  sprouts wings and flies, she has to ease her
          backward.
                                                          from an allergic reaction to sleeping pills, which  aging mother's fears. "The thing that worries me
                                                          spread like wildfire on Facebook and YouTube.  is my mum," she said in November 2013 via
          Alice Cooper - Fans of the musician got a little
                                                          In July 2016, she was once again said to be    Digital Spy. "It makes me a little mad – she’s 86
          confused in 1973 after reading Melody Maker
                                                          dead, presumably because of a mural by an      years old and if I’m not on the phone telling her
          magazine's satirical review of Cooper's concert
          in the form of a mock obit. Cooper is known for  Australian artist that got lots of press. It was a  I’m OK four seconds after it’s on the news … it
          his onstage decapitations and executions, but he  portrait of the singer and the words “In loving  doesn’t matter what they say, it’s the impact it
                                                          memory of Taylor Swift 1989-2016.”             has on your family."
          later had to issue a statement saying, "I'm alive,
          and drunk as usual."
                                                          Zach Braff - The "Scrubs" actor was reported   Vin Diesel - In January of 2014, Facebook was
                                                          dead in 2009 by a fake CNN.com page.  The      the starting point for a post that went viral about
          Abe Vigoda - The first time Abe Vigoda was
                                                          perpetrator of the "joke" later posted an      the death of the "Fast & Furious" actor. The post
          reported dead, he was a spry 60-years-old when
                                                          apology, saying in part, "…  Thanks for        linked to what they said was a "news report,"
          a People magazine reporter visited the wrap
                                                          (apparently) taking it lightly, since I haven't  which, when clicked, requested permission to
          party of "Barney Miller" in 1982 and said "the
          late Abe Vigoda" wasn't there. Five years later,  gotten a letter about a lawsuit yet. Just so you  access the viewer's accounts. If granted, the
          another reporter mistakenly referred to him as  know, I'm a huge fan; that's the only reason I  “RIP  Vin Diesel” post was sent as spam to
                                                          made this page, believe it or not. Also, sorry for  everyone on that user's friends list.
          "the late Abe Vigoda." Jokes about his age and
                                                          upsetting your mother."
          being dead followed him the rest of his career,
                                                                                                         Dwayne Johnson - The Rock did not die while
          and his life, because he really did pass away in
                                                          Russell Crowe  -  The "Gladiator" star took    filming a stunt on the set of "Fast & Furious 7,"
          2016 at the age of 94.
                                                          matters into his own hands in June 2010 by     as was stated in an April 2014 Facebook post
                                                          tweeting, "Unable to answer tweets fell off a  that went viral at the time. He nixed the report
          Bob Hope - Film legend Bob Hope's death was
                                                          mountain in Austria, all over red rover. Don't  and posted a Facebook message of his own that
          announced five years prematurely in 1998 when
          a pre-written obituary was accidentally         know how I got there, but the media are never  read, "Rumors of my death are false - Im still
          published on the  Associated Press website.     wrong. G'Bye."                                 'Bringin' It' 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, 365 days
                                                                                                         a year - including leap year!" A tweet of his took
          Unfortunately, the erroneous report of his
                                                          Jackie Chan - "Jackie is alive and well," read a  a more direct approach: "I would love to meet
          "death" was then announced by the United
                                                          note on the action star’s Facebook page        the person who is starting rumors of my death -
          States House of Representatives live on C-Span.
                                                          following internet buzz that he died in March  to show them how a dead foot feels up their
                                                          2011. “He did not suffer a heart attack and die,  ass."
          Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake - As a
                                                          as was reported on many social networking sites
          joke, two Dallas DJs claimed a car accident took
                                                          and in online news reports.”                                          (Continued on Page 39)
          the lives of the pop stars, who were dating at the
          time. "The first thing I did was call Britney,"                                                    Visit The ’X’ Zone Broadcast Network
          Timberlake told ABC News in 2001. "Since the    Barack Obama - On July 4, 2011, Fox News'            24/7/365 Paranormal / Talk Radio
                                                          Twitter account was hacked by a group called                  www.XZBN.net
          beginning, [when] people knew about our
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