Too Soon: The Most Outrageous Celebrity Death Hoaxes
Imagine waking up and reading that you're supposedly dead... that must be quite the experience. Incredibly, that's the reality for some of pop culture's biggest celebrities. Famous people have to go through a lot when it comes to the media. Whether it's their fashion, who they're dating, or their marital problems, people are always spreading rumors about famous folks. Sometimes, these rumors get so out of hand they go so far as to claim a celebrity died -- even though they're alive and well. These are the most unbelievable celebrity death hoaxes that have ever been circulated.
Someone Said Michael J. Fox Died From Complications With His Parkinsons
Back to the Future and Family Ties star Michael J. Fox was declared dead in 2018 by a convincing fake news site associated with Yahoo. According to People, the site stated that Fox had passed away from pneumonia after checking into the hospital due to complications with his Parkinson's disease.
The hoax was somewhat believable, however, as he had been quiet on social media for several days. Fortunately, he was proven to still be alive and healthy when he posted on his Instagram two days after he had supposedly died.
Justin Timberlake And Britney Spears Supposedly Died In A Car Crash
In 2001, when Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears were still dating, two DJs from Texas announced that the couple had died in a car accident. Unsurprisingly, the two DJs were fired although Timberlake and Spears remained relatively unfazed by the lie.
Timberlake went on to admit since they first started dating there had been rumors about every detail of their relationship. But when he heard that someone said they had both died he said that took it to a "whole 'nother planet." He never thought the rumors would go that far.
Henry Cavill Died In March 2018
After someone updated his Wikipedia page saying that he had died, the Justice League actor cleared things up on Instagram. Supposedly, Cavill had died on March 3, 2018, and a simple Google search would also show that he had died.
Not long after, Cavill posted a picture on side-by-side on Instagram with the caption "When you learn that you died 2 days ago..." His relieved fans responded with humorous comments claiming that Superman can't die and that they were happy he was safe.
Jackie Chan Had To Clarify On Facebook
In 2011, when rumors began circulating that action star and stuntman Jackie Chan had died of a heart attack, the media and his fans went got hysterical. To clear things up, Chan personally went onto his official Facebook page to put the rumor to rest.
He wrote, "Jackie is alive and well. He did not suffer a heart attack and die, as was reported on many social networking sites and in online news reports. Jackie is fine and is busy preparing for the filming of his next movie.”
Sylvester Stallone Had To Lay Two Rumors To Rest
Rumors that action star Sylvester Stallone had passed away began to circulate on social media in 2018. The still incredibly fit 71-year-old took to Twitter to announce that he was, in fact, alive. He tweeted "Please ignore this stupidity...Alive and well and happy and healthy...Still punching!"
Unfortunately, the false news had traveled fast with countless people sharing that the renowned Rocky star had died. Besides from telling the public he wasn't dead, he also had to dispel rumors that he had a disease that made him lose his hair. The images captured were apparently taken from a film he was working on.
Jeff Goldblum Supposedly Fell Off A Cliff
On June 26, 2009, the day after Michael Jackson died, an online hoax was started that said Jeff Goldblum had passed away. The news story was formulated by FakeAWish.com under the name "Global Associated Press," claiming that he had fallen off of a cliff in New Zealand while filming a movie.
The Australia Today Show believed the story and mourned him on television although they were relieved when they discovered it was a lie. FakeAWish.com has done similar stories with other actors including Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, and others.
Cesar Milan's Dog Cleared Things Up
in December 2014, a rumor began to spread across the Internet that Cesar Milan, the star of The Dog Whisperer, had died of a heart attack. The rumors were so serious that some claimed that his wife held a press conference and stated, "I hope you can understand my loss, and I would appreciate if you can give us our space for mourning."
Of course, Milan wasn't dead and denied the hoax on Twitter. His loyal dog Junior even "posted" on Facebook saying, "Reports of my Pack Leader's untimely demise are greatly exaggerated. I can happily report he is safe, happy and healthy."
Miley Cyrus Has Been Pronounced Dead Twice!
The first time Miley Cyrus was rumored to be dead was in 2008 when someone posted on Yahoo! saying that she had been killed in a car accident. Although some fans were left holding their breath, her appearance at her show in New York quickly disproved the hoax.
The second death scandal she was at the center of was in a 2014 Facebook ad, used to draw users in to take a quiz. It was a photo of Cyrus "overdosing" which was shared around the Internet with the headline "{SHOCKING} Miley Cyrus Found Dead in Her Los Angeles Home!"
Betty White "Dyed"
Fans of comedian and actress Betty White freaked out when she was the subject of a death hoax back in 2014. A satirical article was published in Empire News with the title "Betty White, 92, Dyes Peacefully In Her Los Angeles Home."
Some people misread the headline and thought "dye" meant the same thing as "die," leading many people to share the news on social media that Betty White had died. Of course, people on social media were in a panic until her agent confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that she was indeed alive.
Wayne Knight Never Encountered A Tractor
Best known for his role on Seinfeld and movies such as Jurassic Park, on March 16, 2014, US Magazine reported that Wayne Knight, along with two others, was struck and killed by a tractor. This supposedly happened along Route 446, near the New York-Pennsylvania border.
In response to the claims, Knight went on Twitter and said, "Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed… but I am alive and well!" While Knight was fine, the story was actually true and three people had been killed by a tractor in that specific location.
Lil Wayne Has Been Thought To Be Dead Multiple Times
Because Lil Wayne suffers from epileptic seizures, he has supposedly "died" on numerous occasions when he winds up in the hospital. However, one of the more serious occasions was on December 16, 2013.
A viral video was shared all across numerous social media platforms that shocked some fans and made others suspicious. The so-called "tribute" clip required fans to share it before they could even view the video. Unsurprisingly, it was a scam that spread viruses to people's computers. Lil Wayne remains in good health today.
Paris Hilton Was Not Stabbed In Prison
While Paris Hilton was serving time in jail for violating her DUI probation in 2007, a rumor on Twitter started that she had been stabbed. Mike Burke, a man who was annoyed Hilton made the news again for her shenanigans, created the fake CNN story. He claimed that she had been stabbed by a fellow inmate after Hilton had insulted her.
To add some realism to the story, he added that the weapon was a sharpened metal ruler. of course, it didn't take long for people to discover the truth, and Hilton defends her name to this day.
Terry Gilliam Got A Kick Out Of His Hoax
Surprisingly, in 2015, the renowned publication Variety made a false claim that 74-year-old filmmaker Terry Gilliam had passed away. The headline for the article looked like an obituary which stated, "Monty Python's Terry Gilliam, Director of Brazil, Dies at XXX." Of course, this news spread like wildfire over the Internet.
Variety quickly deleted it although Gilliam found the whole ordeal to be comical. He posted on Facebook "I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING DEAD especially to those who have already bought tickets to the upcoming talks."
Oprah Winfrey Was The Victim Of A Personal Attack
When Oprah Winfrey defended a Senate bill against pedophiles, she directly referenced the website 4chan group Anonymous, who had left a disturbing comment on her website. For speaking out against the group publicly, 4chan took revenge and concocted a series of fake stories that Oprah had died.
One said she had been feeling chest pains, another that she was sick, one that she had been shot, and so on. The group admitted to being the masterminds of the hoax, photoshopping news clips in hopes of spreading false information.
Adam Sandler Isn't Much of A Snowboarder
Another victim of FakeAWish.com, on December 28, 2010, a story was released that Adam Sandler had perished in a tragic snowboarding accident. Supposedly, he was snowboarding in Zermatt, Switzerland when he lost control and ran into a tree at high speed. Although he was airlifted to the nearest hospital, it was reported that he had died upon impact.
Soon after, Sandler appeared on Jay Leno to promote his new film Just Go With It. There he also spoke on the hoax, joking that when he dies "it will be in America, and it won't be on a snowboard; it will either be on a toilet or hanging from a belt, naked."
Norman Reedus Can Survive Anything, Including Zombies
Best known for his fan-favorite character as Daryl on AMC's The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus was said to have been killed in a motor accident on June 1, 2014. The news spread through Facebook and Twitter with a link to a story that described Reedus' death.
However, around the time of his "death" Reedus was at the Variety studios with actor Aaron Paul and had been consistently tweeting the whole time. Reedus even tweeted a picture of himself next to a broken down car on the set of The Walking Dead to poke fun at the hoax.
"Paul Is Dead"
For decades there has been a rumor supported by conspiracy theorists that legendary Beatles member Paul McCartney has been dead since 1966. Since then, he has been supposedly been portrayed by an imposter that looks and sounds like him. According to hardcore believers, some of the Beatles' songs and album covers reveal hints that he is dead.
Apparently the song, "A Day in the Life," has the lyrics "Paul is dead, miss him, miss him"… but only when played backward. Everyone else, especially, McCartney knows that he is alive and well and even still making music.
The Now-Late Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda was an American actor, best known for his work in The Godfather and Barney Miller. Although he passed away in 2016 at the age of 94, there were several occasions throughout his life in which people assumed that he was dead. The first was when he was 60 years old and People magazine attended the Barney Miller wrap party.
After, they reported that the "late Abe Vigoda wasn't there," leading the public to believe he had passed. This same situation happened again when another publication said "the late Abe Vigoda" once again. It became a joke among his fans.
Avril Lavigne Isn't Who She Says She Is
Back in 2003, a rumor was started on the Internet that Avril Lavigne had committed suicide after the death of her grandfather. Once people realized that wasn't the case, the hoax was dropped, at least for the time being.
But then in 2017, a new conspiracy came to light and people began theorizing that Lavigne has actually been dead since 2003 and is being portrayed by someone else. Apparently, this is because her record label needed her to continue making music, so they created a fake version of her to keep making money.
Zach Braff Was Upset For His Mother
Back in 2009, an Internet troll created a mock CNN page that claimed the former Scrubs actor Zach Braff had committed suicide. Since the page looked like a CNN report, many people actually believed the hoax. Even though the prankster apologized for the "joke," Braff did not find it amusing, regardless of his own sense of humor and comedic nature.
In response, he made a YouTube video assuring his fans that he was alive and kicking. However, he did go off on the perpetrator. He called him a series of insulting names for making his mother think her son had killed himself.
