10 celebrity death hoaxes that shook the world
Celebrities often have to face the dreaded death hoax
Internet personality Lil Tay has joined a long list of celebrities to have been written off as dead. Just 24 hours after the news of her death broke, Lil Tay told TMZ, "My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not 'Claire Hope.'" She also wrote, "I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive...”
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise, who is known for his death-defying stunts, was rumored to have died in an accident in New Zealand in 2010. During an interview with MTV, when he was asked about the rumor, he joked, "No, I'm not [alive]. I'm a hologram,” before adding, "I'm really alive... Did the Internet get it wrong again?" He also asked his fans to spread the message, “Yes, you can send the message out [that I am still alive]."
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman has been killed by the Internet several times. In 2012, after such a prank on a Facebook page, Freeman posted in 2012, “Like Mark Twain, I keep reading that I have died,” before adding, “I hope those stories are not true... But if they are, I'm happy to report that my afterlife seems identical to my life when I was alive.”
Matt Damon
Most of the prominent cast members of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ have been reported 'dead' at least once. Matt Damon was furious when he joined the ranks of death hoax victims in 2009. The ‘Jason Bourne’ star lambasted the false death reporting during his Toronto Film Festival press conference by saying, "My publicist got all of these phone calls from very reputable sources. I got forwarded the story, which, if you read it, it just gets sillier and sillier, and, by the end, the guy, who's said to be my agent, is quoting the lyrics to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," per Digital Spy.
Brad Pitt
When Brad Pitt was going through his divorce with Angelina Jolie in 2016, the false news about the ‘Troy’ star’s death was doing the rounds of the Internet. Later, it was revealed that the hoax article's link was used to infect the user's device with a malware trying to steal personal data, per CBS News.
George Clooney
In June 2009, George Clooney was also the target of false death rumors that took over the Internet. It got so bad that the ‘Gravity’ star’s representatives had to publish a statement saying the actor was alive and well, as per Irish Central.
Beyonce
The pop icon Beyonce joined the long list of celebrities falsely reported to have died in 2015. An article, modified to look like a CNN article, falsely claimed under the headline, "Music Sensation Beyonce Knowles Dies in Car Crash." The fake news report also had the picture of Paul Walker’s car crash site attached with the article that made this hoax a particularly nasty one, per Pop Crush.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Another celebrity to have 'died' in 2015 was 'The Terminator' star Arnold Schwarzenegger. The famously fit action-star was rumored to have died because of a pretty unlikely reason — a heart attack!
Russell Crowe
As Johnson fell off the Kauri Cliffs, ‘The Pope Exorcist’ star Russell Crowe was rumored to have fallen down from a mountain in Austria in 2010. He too, took to his Twitter to clarify the news. His humorous tweet read, “Unable to answer,” before adding, "Fell off a mountain in Austria, all over red rover. Don't know how I got there, but the media are never wrong. G’Bye."
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was included in the elite list of stars to have fallen off New Zealand’s Kauri Cliffs while filming a stunt in 2014. However, the former WWE superstar replied with his characteristic humor by posting on Twitter then, "I would love to meet the person who is starting rumors of my death – to show them how a dead foot feels up their a**," per The Sun.
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan was also written off as dead in 2013. The actor took to his social media and said, “If I died, I would probably tell the world! I took a photo with today’s date, just in case you don’t believe me! However, thank you all for your concern. Kiss kiss and love you all!”