Morgan Freeman is not dead, no matter what you read on Facebook, but the rumor of his demise gained so much steam that it prompted representatives for the actor to reiterate that he is in fact among the living.

“Morgan is alive and well, and joins the long list of actors who have been victimized by this hoax,” a rep for Freeman told E! News.

The rumor that Morgan Freeman was dead started late last week on Facebook when someone made a memorial page that said the actor had passed away.

Those who read the “About” page for the “R.I.P. Morgan Freeman” page were given a believable account of his passing:

“At about 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, our beloved actor Morgan Freeman passed away due to a artery rupture. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Apparently many of them didn’t check their sources or wonder why the death of one of the most beloved actors of a generation wouldn’t register with any major news outlets.

A lot of people were fooled along the way, the Clarion Ledger reported. The Morgan Freeman memorial page had close to 850,000 “likes” before people wised up and realized it was all a fake.

The Morgan Freeman dead hoax also made it out of Facebook and onto other corners of the internet, most notably Twitter. Many people were angry when they found out that it was all made up, the Clarion Ledger reported.

“I was so saddened by the news that Morgan Freeman had passed, Thank God it is not true … Shame on you whoever started that rumor. Quit saying these awful things,” said one Web site commenter.

Morgan Freeman Dead Hoax Prompts Response From Actor’s Rep, Fools Countless People On The Internet is a post from: The Inquisitr