Nate Dogg: Not Dead

noah | May 13, 2008 6:45 am
natedogg.jpg

Like the Timex Social Club, I spend a lot of time lamenting the rumors that surround me every day. How do they get started? And where do they get crazy? In Truthmongerer, I’ll try to suss out the kernels of truth in the rumors that are taking up airspace in gossip columns, blogs, and our tips inbox.

THE RUMOR: Nate Dogg passed away over the weekend, according to a MySpace post that was picked up by MediaTakeOut earlier today.

TRUTH THRESHOLD: 0%. Yes, that’s right–it’s a rumor that’s been, shall we say, wholly exaggerated.

LIKELY TRUTHS: True, Nate Dogg hasn’t been in optimum shape ever since he suffered a stroke and subsequently had his girlfriend’s 911 call mocked back in January; he’s currently recovering at home and staying out of the spotlight.

LIKELY FALSEHOODS: But he is still recovering, i.e., he’s still alive, and not dead. According to his manager, who spoke to XXL, the MySpace post was the result of Nate Dogg’s account being hacked by some person who clearly had a very misdirected desire for 15 minutes of Internet fame. Which they got. Hooray!

On the bright side, I’m pretty sure that this is the first time the eternally gullible MediaTakeOut has actually issued a retraction for a post it ran, although it’s probably not that surprising that said post is currently not linked from the site’s front page.

Nate Dogg “Alive And Well,” Says Manager [XXL] Earlier: Internet Assholes Almost Cause Nate Dogg To Have Second Stroke