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45 Celebrity Death Hoaxes                                                                               39




            Celebrity Death Hoaxes:                      had died from an asthma attack. Sidibe assured Beyonce and Jay Z while cozying up to Donald
                                                         everyone she was fine, but joked that maybe she Trump was enough proof for some.
             45 Famous People Who                        was dead, if her "version of Hell is people
                                                         believing poorly written articles about me."Jack Adam Sandler  - LinkBeef, which was the
             Were Reported Dead…                         Black  The  Twitter account for Black's band breeding ground for several celebrity death

                      But Weren’t                        Tenacious D was hacked in June 2016 and the hoaxes, reported on Jan. 13, 2017, that Sandler
                                                         culprits posted this unsettling message: "It is was found dead of an apparent suicide and even
                                                         with a heavy heart I am to announce that Jack cited their source as Marin County Police
                  Continued from Page 38                 Black passed away last night at 3:37 am. The Department in California and "quoted" Sandler's
                                                         cause of death is yet unknown."  They later "utterly heartbroken" wife, Jackie.
          Macaulay Culkin  - When the "Home Alone" cleared up the mess, posting, "WE had our
          star was targeted by death rumors in November Twitter account hacked. We can assure you that Willie Nelson -  The country music legend's
          2014, he debunked the reports by taking to Jack is ALIVE and WELL and that this was a publicist shut down rumors of his death that
          Instagram and posting a photo parodying a scene sick 'prank.'"                                 began with a March 13, 2017 story on Radar
          from "Weekend at Bernie's."                                                                    Online that said he was "deathly ill." In reality,
                                                         Nicolas Cage - Although  trafficforgoods.site's it was just a "bad cold" that forced him to cancel
          Axl Rose - Word of the death of the Guns N' July 2016 headline read "Nicolas Cage passed a handful of concert dates.
          Roses singer spread across the internet on away because of a serious Motorcycle
          December 3, 2014, but he nipped that one in the Accident," the body of the story said he died Betty White - As recently as May 10, 2017, a
          bud, tweeting, "If I'm dead do I still have to pay when he "lost control of his snowboard and tweet popped up saying that White was found
          taxes?"                                        struck a tree." But social media took the bait and dead, and another one said her publicist
                                                         ran with it anyway. Another fake news outlet confirmed it. People are so in love with White,
          Michael Jordan  -  The web site Cronica MX picked up the story, tweaked it and added a that when her name trends on Twitter, they freak
          posted an article in February 2015 reporting the Photoshopped pic of a motorcycle crash scene, out with worry that she's met her maker.
          NBA superstar died of a heart attack. They took Cage's face and a CNN chyron.                  Someone even set up a GoFundMe to protect her
          it a step further by producing a video with                                                    from all the celebrity deaths in 2016.
          spliced footage of a breaking news segment and Hillary Clinton - Following Hillary Clinton's
          a tearful anchor.                              appearance at a 9/11 memorial in September Barbara Bush - In  April 2018, CBS News
                                                         2016 in which she appeared to collapse while briefly and erroneously published an obituary
          Martin Lawrence - In April 2015, News Buzz getting into a van, ABC News weekend anchor for former first lady Barbara Bush with "DO
          Daily falsely reported Martin Lawrence was Joe Torres said on that evening's newscast, "We NOT PUBLISH" in the headline. Bush really
          found dead in a Los Angeles hotel room by a begin with the breaking news about Hillary did die just two days later.
          maid named  Verna Del Sosa. Lawrence never Clinton’s death."  The anchor meant to say
          mentioned it directly, but he did make his un- "health" rather than "death," but  Twitter Sean Kingston - BBC News shocked the music
          dead self visible on social media in the days nonetheless had a field day, sparking speculation world in June 2018 when it reported the
          following his "death."                         that the woman who emerged from her daughter Jamaican-American singer was found dead at
                                                         Chelsea's home a few hours later was a look- his home weeks after he crashed his jet ski into
          Arnold Schwarzenegger  - An Aug.  28,  2015 alike because the former first lady had died.      a Miami bridge. "Today" caught up with the 21-
          post on MSMBC.co (not to be mistaken for                                                       year-old three months later about his near-death
          MSNBC.com) reported that the former Cher Cher - was added to the celebrity death experience.
          Governator died following a heart attack.      hoax list of victims after a "R.I.P. Cher"
                                                         Facebook page was created in September 2016. Costa-Gavras  - On  August 30, 2018, the
          Carlos Santana - A Sept. 2015 tweet from a Apparently the post concluded with the message Associated Press reported, and then withdrew,
          Canadian journalist reporting that Santana's "Please show your sympathy and condolences news that Greek film director Costas-Gavras had
          body was found in a car sparked immediate by commenting on and liking this page" wasn't died.  Their report was based on a tweet that
          denials from his peeps. "He is alive and well and enough of a clue that it was a fake because the came from a "fake account" believed to be from
          enjoying his morning!" his rep told USA Today. reports of her passing went viral and attracted Greece's culture minister. In fact, AP said that
          Team Santana added to that message, posting on nearly a million likes.                         Gavras even spoke on state television that same
          their Facebook page, "... Thank you all for your                                               day.
          concern, but the reports of his passing are false." Miley Cyrus - The "Wrecking Ball" singer has
                                                         dodged the social media Grim Reaper more than Mark Twain - We couldn't leave out humorist
          Robert Redford - The Sundance Film Festival once. In 2008, she was said to have been killed Mark  Twain, who became known for, among
          founder's publicist stepped in to call reports of by a hit and run driver, and in 2009 socialite many other things, one of history's most
          his death in December 2015 "a sick hoax." The Peaches Geldolf tweeted that a "friend in the misquoted quotes. In 1897, Twain responded to
          fake news first came from Britain's Sky News, industry" texted her that Cyrus had died. Word a journalist's inquiry about his health by writing,
          which said he had fallen off a "golf buggy" in of her death arose again in Sept. 2016, when "James Ross Clemens, a cousin of mine, was
          Santa Monica.                                  Now8News reported that she was found dead in seriously ill two or three weeks ago in London,
                                                         her bathtub after a prescription pill overdose.  but is well now. The report of my illness grew
          Chevy Chase - According to a fake report in                                                    out of his illness; the report of my death was an
          Breaking 13 News, the "Community" actor died Beyonce - Jewelry can kill you, or at least that's exaggeration." []
          in his sleep after suffering a heart attack on Jan. the rumor that started after the singer
          6, 2016.                                       accidentally ripped out an earring during a
                                                         Brooklyn concert in October 2016 and blood
          Sean Penn - News reports popped up on Jan. 12, began running down her face. A Facebook page
          2016 that Sean Penn was found murdered in his claimed she had died because she didn't seek
          Malibu home and that authorities were medical attention. The BeyHive was not happy
          investigating the possibility that El Chapo might about the hoax.
          have ordered a hit on the actor/director who had
          interviewed him shortly before.                Kanye West - Social media, again, ran amuck in
                                                         December 2016 with the theory that  West's
          Gabourey Sidibe -  The "Empire" star was uncharacteristic behavior at the time was
          barraged with tweets from concerned fans in because it wasn't really him… it was a clone.
          March 2016, who were checking to make sure You read that right. Cancelling his tour, dyeing
          she was still alive, following a post that said she his hair, having a public meltdown and dissing
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