Macaulay Culkin Death Hoax All Too Believable – But Are Things Turning Around?


The internet has been abuzz with news of former child star Macaulay Culkin’s death, followed by news of the rumors being yet another celebrity death hoax. Earlier The Inquisitr reported that a representative for Macaulay has released a statement that he is indeed very much alive.

All of this attention on the reclusive actor provides an opportunity to look back at Culkin’s history, the potential and the current trajectory of his life, in hopes that the beloved star is escaping the tragic spiral that made rumors of his death seem all too believable.

On Sunday, rumors surfaced on Facebook via a post which read:

“At about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday (April 20, 2014), our beloved actor Macaulay Culkin passed away. Macaulay Culkin was born on August 26, 1980 in New York. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Outpourings of love and condolences flooded the internet, and there is little doubt as to why.

The world fell in love with Macaulay Culkin in the early 90s when he portrayed the adorable, creative kid Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster movies Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Audiences flocked to watch his antics in defeating the crooks while he was accidentally left behind by his family. Macaulay became a household name as he appeared in Richie Rich, My Girl, and The Nutcracker, just to name a few.

Macaulay’s father, Kit Culkin, who was also his son’s manager, quickly gained a reputation for driving a hard deal with Hollywood. Macaulay told the New York Magazine in 2000 that his father was very controlling and was also abusive at home. He once told his dad/manager, “Listen, I’m really getting tired and… I really need some time off.” Though Kit told him, “Yeah, sure,” it didn’t happen. Macaulay realized, “Okay. There’s basically nothing I can do to make this stop.”

He had to keep on going, but his heart was no longer in his work. He was still a child. “After that I turned myself off. It was just about saying the lines so that Dad didn’t get mad at me.”

As time passed, Macaulay grew richer, but he really had no clue how rich because his father reportedly hid the newspapers from him. Google and Yahoo were still several years in the future. But his resentment of his father grew, as the power trips increased. “I was making God-knows-how-much money, and Kit was making me sleep on the couch, just because he could,” according to Macaulay Culkin. “Just to let you know who’s in charge and just to let you know if he doesn’t want you to sleep in a bed, you’re not going to sleep in a bed.”

In 1995, Macaulay’s parents Patricia Brentrup and Kit Culkin split up, and news of the custody battle, and battle for the money, appeared all over the tabloids. Patricia told reporters that Kit’s behavior in the custody hearings drove an even deeper wedge into their relationship than had existed before. He “made it so that poor kid could never, ever have feelings for this man.” Macaulay said that he grew up with a father who “beat our spirits down.”

Following the alienation of his father, Macaulay married actress Rachel Miner at age 17. The couple separated two years later, and divorced in 2002.

Michael Jackson reportedly took him under his wing. Culkin adamantly denies any impropriety on the part of the superstar who was accused of molesting boys. What Macaulay saw in Jackson was a kindred spirit, one of the very few people who could relate to the particular struggles of childhood fame that Culkin experienced. “Michael’s still a kid. I’m still a kid,” Culkin told New York Magazine. “We’re both going to be about 8 years old forever… because we never had a chance to be 8 when we actually were.”

Though Culkin retired from acting at age 14, he later got back in the saddle with a number of projects that he described as things HE wanted to do. He had acquired enough money that he need never work again unless he wants to. His tastes have veered toward creatively unconventional or dark projects off the mainstream path.

Mila Kunis became an important part of his life in 2002, and she and Macaulay were an item until 2010.

In 2008, tragedy struck when a car accident took the life of Culkin’s sister Dakota.

Several outlets have reported numerous rumors of Macaulay Culkin’s alleged drug use in recent years, allegations which he and his representative deny. There was a time period when photos that surfaced showed him looking gaunt and unkempt, fueling the rumor mill. His step-mother, Jeanette Krylowski, and his father, whom Macaulay has not seen since 1997 have reported that they believe he has been abusing drugs.

Culkin’s relationship with Mila Kunis ended in 2010, amidst reports that she dumped him because of his spiraling drug habit, according to The Daily Mail.

Between the controlling father, the pressures of child-fame, tragedy, the loss of the love of his life, and career troubles, there is much that would make rumors of drug abuse and early death believable. But Macaulay Culkin is very much alive.

More recent sightings of Culkin show that he appears much healthier and in better spirits. He has been seen in and around Manhattan with his band Pizza Underground, a creatively cheesy cover act of Velvet Underground, which has altered the lyrics of the 60’s rock band to be all about pizza.

He is also reportedly in a committed love relationship with singer Jordan Lane Price. Those around Macaulay see new life in him recently.

Could it be that things are turning around in a good way for the troubled actor? Macaulay Culkin is talented, creative, and still well-loved by fans, as indicated for the outpouring of love shown him when the public thought he was gone.

Thankfully, he is NOT gone.

Though Macaulay grew up overshadowed by the expectations of a demanding, distant father, he does not have to stay trapped in that mentality. It is hoped that Macaulay Culkin will find renewed purpose and embrace the life that we are thankful that he still has.

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