Nelson Mandela was the subject of a cruel Twitter death hoax perpetrated Sunday night. The Twitter breaking news post appeared to come from CNN host Piers Morgan, and it said that Mandela’s spokesman had informed news sources that the 94-year-old anti-apartheid fighter and first black president of South Africa had passed away peacefully in his sleep.

I got the tweet myself, and it was very believable looking. In fact, I tried to look into it, but I wasn’t able to get very far, since I couldn’t find anyone who could confirm Piers Morgan’s information.

There’s a good reason for that. It wasn’t Piers Morgan’s tweet.

Instead, it came from a parody account @piersnorgan that has previously tweeted another hoax Nelson Mandela death report in March. See that “n” instead of the “m” in there? Right. Neither did anybody else who was reading the tweet on a mobile device.

Early on Saturday, Mandela was admitted to a hospital in Pretoria, South Africa with a recurring lung infection.

His condition is serious, and his spokesman Mac Maharaj seemed to be signalling that we should brace ourselves for the possible passing of South Africa’s civil rights hero:

“[T]e most important thing is that we should realize that this is a life that we need to celebrate, even when he’s with us. And we will celebrate it, even when he is not with us.”

Earlier on Sunday, 87-year-old friend Andrew Mlangeni came forward to add this message: “We wish Madiba a speedy recovery, but I think what is important is that his family must release him.”

So the cruel Twitter death hoax saying Nelson Mandela was gone seemed plausible. It quickly attracted 1,300 retweets — including my own, I’m sorry to say.

Piers Morgan, needless to say, isn’t happy either.

This absolutely sickens me, please report the fake account and get it closed down >Nelson Mandela death hoax: smh.com.au/world/nelson-m… …

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) June 10, 2013

Nelson Mandela victim of death hoax on Twitter. Still feeling bad for retweeting. How low can some people go? smh.com.au/world/nelson-m…

— Colin Campbell (@clutterbells) June 10, 2013

For the record, Nelson Mandela is still in serious but stable condition. As for the perpetrators of the hateful Mandela celebrity Twitter death hoax, don’t you have anything better to do?

Clearly, the world is not yet ready to let go of hero Nelson Mandela.

[Nelson Mandela photo by South Africa The Good News via Wikimedia Commons]

Nelson Mandela, Piers Morgan Targets Of Cruel Twitter Death Hoax is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tom Cruise has not been involved in a fatal accident despite some reports claiming the 50-year-old actor was killed in a crash Thursday.

Yes, folks, it seems Cruise is the latest victim of a celebrity death hoax. The actor was first pronounced dead by Australian TV station 9 News, which reported that the star had died in a car accident in Queensland, Australia.

As it happens, Cruise is still very much alive. 9 News quickly pulled its erroneous report but not before somebody at MSN News screencapped it for posterity; you can see it yourself below.

The original article said the Tom Cruise accident occurred while the star was on vacation in Australia. The report claimed the actor died at 5.30 am on Thursday morning, only for Cruise to show up at an L.A. premiere for his new flick Oblivion around 12 hours later. Oops.

The report also claimed Cruise had to be identified by photo ID found at the scene of the accident. The Royal Queensland Police allegedly provided confirmation of this.

Plenty of people were sucked in — the term “Tom Cruise accident” is trending as we write — but it seems 9 News was pulling our leg all along. At the bottom of the story, a subtly hidden message read:

“FAKE… THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes!”

This isn’t the first time Cruise has experienced online death: In 2010, the actor died no less than three times. All deaths occurred in New Zealand and were attributed at the time to a car crash, to Cruise falling off a cliff, and to the actor perishing in a plumbing accident.

[Top image via Shutterstock]

Tom Cruise Accident Rumors Spread, Actor Is Latest Victim Of Celebrity Death Hoax is a post from: The Inquisitr

Mickey Rourke has not died, and his agent has spent the better part of his Friday responding to condolence calls from individuals who just can’t believe the (bullsh**) news.

The Iron Man 2 actor is the latest celebrity to be killed on the Internet, thanks to the continuing morbid and idiotic trend of online death hoaxes. Mickey Rourke’s death hoax started with frequent offenders over at Global Associated News, who claim that Rourke died in a snowboarding accident in Switzerland.

Sounds familiar, right? That’s because the brain trust that is GAN has killed off dozens of actors with the exact same story, including Sylvester Stallone, Christian Slater, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, etc. etc. ad nauseam.

Once the rumor started circulating on the web, Rourke’s agent David Unger had to reassure a multitude of panicked callers that Rourke is alive and well. He tells New York gossip column Page Six that Rourke is “very touched by the outpouring of concern, and is alive and well in Beverly Hills.”

He adds, “I have been getting condolence calls from all over the world. But I can confirm Mickey is very alive.”

We’ve covered before how to spot and put a stop to a celebrity death hoax online, but here’s a quick refresher course:

Celebrity death hoaxes usually start on social media with various “RIPwhoever” hashtags, and without actually doing any fact-checking, tweeps keep re-hashtagging until the faux news goes viral and countless opportunists start Facebook memorial pages in a desperate and pathetic attempt to get 15 minutes of fame without actually doing anything substantive to earn them.

If you hear that a celebrity has died, just do a quick Google search. Facebook and Twitter are not news sources. MSN, Yahoo, CNN, any major news outlet will pick up the news (and fast) if a celebrity has died. Heck, even the well-meaning though slightly-irreverent staff here at The Inquisitrusually catches these hoaxes early and puts them to bed.

Think before you tweet. Also, anything that comes from Global Associated News is bullsh**. And not even funny bullsh** like The Onion, either.

Celebrity death hoaxes are stupid, and whoever starts them is stupid, so if you’re planning on starting a celebrity death hoax, you’re stupid. Get a life, a girlfriend, something. Sure, we in the media will keep writing about them so long as they happen, but we’re going to shame your sorry butts for it every single time.

Did you fall for the Mickey Rourke death hoax? Be honest!

Mickey Rourke Death Hoax: Actor’s Agent Insists ‘He’s Fine’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

“Jim Carrey dies” is a popular search right now as a persistent death hoax pegging the actor as the latest to fall victim to a vague accident abroad ping-pongs around the web — but the Dumb And Dumber star is alive and well, and the rumor is just the latest entry into the Celebrity Death Hoax Hall Of Fame.

The origin of the “Jim Carrey dies” rumor is the same site — we won’t link and perpetuate the hoaxing — that has e-killed off several celebrities this year, allowing for template death stories to be populated with the names of celebrities and spread on Twitter by upset fans.

The way the “Jim Carrey dies” hoax and its ilk seem to work is by picking a celebrity that has been quiet in recent months, plugging their names into an all-purpose story that could conceivably break slowly, and allowing the prank to populate the web via social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

According to the version claiming Jim Carrey’s death currently circulating, a tragic snowboarding accident in a remote Swiss lodge led to the fake demise of the comic star:

“The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Jim Carrey lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed … Jim Carrey was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death.”

While the “Jim Carrey dies” hoax carries no immediate indicators of a prank — it’s dated, specific, and uses relatively “newsy” language — the site from which it stems traffics solely in death hoaxes.

If you’re a Jim Carrey fan worried about the actor’s health and safety, you can follow him on Twitter to check his breathing and pulse at regular intervals.

‘Jim Carrey Dies’ Hoax Latest To Trick Twitter is a post from: The Inquisitr

Celebrity death hoaxes have been all the rage these days. Perhaps that’s what inspired Navy Commander Michael P. Ward II to fake his own death. Of course, Ward didn’t come up with the hoax for the sport of social media or to cause a stir among his facebook friends.

He did it to get rid of his mistress.

The Stir reports that Cmdr. Ward was “recently relieved of his position when it was discovered that he concocted an elaborate plan to lead his mistress – who he had gotten pregnant – to believe that he died.” Classy.

Ward met the woman — who hasn’t been named — through an online dating service, and the two would spend time together when he was sent to the Norfolk, Virginia area for training, cites The Stir. When the mistress became pregnant by him, Ward “met with her to discuss how to handle the pregnancy, and soon afterward shelost the baby due to complications.”

Just before discovering he had fathered a child, 9News reports that Ward ended the relationship, having been made “commander of a nuclear submarine and moved to Connecticut” with his wife. Even after the relationship ended, however, the couple stayed in touch. Finally, Ward had enough. Instead of breaking off the relationship himself, he invented a fictitious colleague, whom he named “Bob.” Very creative. “Bob” then emailed the mistress, informing her that “‘Mr. Ward’ had died unexpectedly.” Again, classy guy.

Ward’s mistress, having just lost her baby and now informed that her lover had died also, was beside herself. Fox reports that the woman, accompanied by her mother and sister, “drove for hours to the man’s home in Virginia … to offer condolences.” Imagine her surprise when the man who answered the door said that Ward “was alive and hardly ailing: He had moved to Connecticut to take command of a US Navy submarine.”

A spokesperson for the submarine group told The Stir that Ward “has received a letter of reprimand for adultery and other military violations, and paperwork has now been filed to remove him from the Navy.” Maybe he should have just told the mistress he wasn’t into her anymore. Better yet, cites The Stir, maybe he shouldn’t have cheated at all. “That would have been the best for his wife,” after all.

Navy Officer’s ‘Death Hoax’ Fools Mistress is a post from: The Inquisitr

“John Cena dead” in 2012 is the latest death hoax to hit Twitter in a week of copious celebrity death hoaxes, though it seems Cena is unusually prone to victimization in the fake-dead stakes.

Celebrity death hoaxes like the one that reports John Cena is dead are becoming increasingly common, and sites like Twitter where jumpy fans can hit “retweet” before checking the veracity of a tale make a spurious tale like that of Cena’s death grow legs faster and more prolifically than similar hoaxes have in the past.

It seems the same site that was responsible for the fake-deaths of Morgan Freeman and Jerry Springer earlier this week are spreading the news that John Cena is dead (which is entirely untrue), and at this point, they’ve just begun recycling the same older death hoax stories they’ve used in the past to draw attention, traffic or just rubes to their site.

The “cliff in New Zealand” tale is one debunked by the website Snopes as a common web untruth, but the tale stuck today with the false report John Cena was dead. Today’s date was plugged into the start of the “news story,” and it begins:

“Actor John Cena died while filming a movie in New Zealand early this morning -September 9, 2012 … Preliminary reports from New Zealand Police officials indicate that the actor fell more than 60 feet to his death on the Kauri Cliffs while on-set. Specific details are not yet available.”

John Cena’s 2012 death hoax is yet another reminder — if a celebrity’s death is not confirmed by major news outlets, chances are someone is pulling your leg.

John Cena Dead ???? WTH !?

— KeepThaatAssJUMP!N(@ItsCookie_BXTCH) September 8, 2012

John Cena Dead? 2012 Death Hoax Has Wrestler Falling Off Cliff In New Zealand is a post from: The Inquisitr

It seems like every week there’s a new death hoax on the internet. Right now, half of Twitter is mourning the loss of Morgan Freeman. Last week, Bill Cosby met his fake death. Eddie Murphy, who is finally seeing a little bit of a career revival, has been killed at least three times this year.

And no, black actors aren’t the only ones being killed off on Twitter. Robert Pattinson, Adam Sandler, Reba McEntire, Reese Witherspoon and Russell Brand have all had fake death reports circulate about them at some point this year.

At the Inquisitr I’m cursed with the task of keeping up with internet trends. That means that I see a lot of death hoaxes and now consider myself an expert on the subject. So, for the sake of my sanity, the health of the internet, the collective IQ of the world, and the friends and family of celebrities who were briefly devastated by a fake death report, here are five ways to spot a death hoax.

1.) Where did the story originate? There are several websites on the internet designed to trick people. They publish fake stories in an effort to get quick hits. Global Associated News, for instance, has been behind death hoaxes for Eddie Murphy, Vanilla Ice, Usher, Keanu Reeves, and 50 Cent.

In fact, GNA has a “death hoax generator” that allows you to punch in a celebrities name, pick a story, and send out a death hoax.

TIP: If it comes from Global Associated News it’s a death hoax.

2.) What’s the story? Freak accidents are called freak accidents because they are freakishly rare. If a celebrity is killed by some extraordinary measure you should look at it with a skeptical eye.

For instance, Reba McEntire was killed this year when she fell off a cliff on a movie set. Reese Witherspoon was stabbed to death and Eddie Murphy was killed while snowboarding in Switzerland.

The above stories all come from the pre-made stories from GNA’s death hoax generator.

Here are some of the other stories:

• Snowboarding accident in Switzerland.
• Car crash in Australia
• Falls to death during movie stunt in New Zealand
• Found dead in the Dominican Republic.
• Jet Ski Crash

TIP: If it sounds fake it probably is fake.

3.) Speaking of Eddie Murphy… That guy has been killed off multiple times this year. AND, at least two of those times have involved the same snowboarding story. In fact, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey, and Russell Brand have all been killed off while skiing at a resort in Zermatt, Switzerland.

You know that death hoax generator mentioned above…? Yeah, it only has about six stories.

TIP: Don’t be fooled by Dejavu. Zermatt, Switzerland is not where celebrities go to die.

4.) Look at the facts. I know, this one’s going to be tough. The major “fact” in all of these stories is “so-and-so” has died. That can be hard to evaluate on its own so you need to look at the other “facts?”

For instance, earlier this year there was a report that Reese Witherspoon had been stabbed to death. The story itself should have set your bullsh*t radar but there were also a few clues that showed the story was a fake.

The story was published on August 8th. The story read: “Reese Witherspoon was stabbed to death today. She died on August 10, 2012, at the age of 36…”

Now, you don’t have to be a scientist to know that August 8th comes before August 10th and that the story couldn’t possibly true.

TIP: If the story is set in the future than it didn’t happen in the past.

By the way, Reese Witherspoon getting stabbed is the only acceptable death hoax. Not because I want Reese to die, but because it does create an opportunity for a joke.

Person 1: “Did you here Reese whatshername was stabbed to death?”
Person 2: “Witherspoon?”
Person 1: “No, with a knife.”

5.) If a major celebrity has actually died you are going to see thousands of articles from hundreds of sources flood the internet. If Vanilla Ice is dead, and the only report you can find comes from @Iwritedeathhoaxrumors on Twitter, then it’s fake.

If the Associated Press starts tweeting about someone’s death you can be pretty sure that they’re actually dead.

TIP: Instead of jumping to conclusions, take an extra thirty seconds to do a search and try to find a credible source. The celebrity that was falsely killed will sometimes even turn up to disprove the rumor.

Ok, now that we all know how to spot a death hoax I’m going to assume that this internet fad is officially over. No more death hoax reports… right, internet?

Death Hoax 101: Five Ways To Spot A Fake Death Report is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jerry Springer is dead on Twitter, but, in real-life, the legendary chat show host is still with us.

It seems Jerry Springer’s death is the latest product of hoax website Global Associated News, which seems to operate on the business model of writing up semi-realistic news stories of the deaths of big-name celebs with a tiny disclaimer at the bottom that the story is total fiction.

The Jerry Springer death hoax is only the latest to light up Twitter as it seems that there are an endless number of Twitter users to fall for the real-looking news stories claiming that Eddie Murphy, 50 Cent, or Jerry Springer are dead.

According to the hoax news site, Jerry Springer died in a rollover car crash on September 7. The site claims:

“Jerry Springer died in a single vehicle crash on Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics responding to the vehicle accident and was identified by photo ID found on his body. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor in this accident … Highway Safety Investigators have told reporters that Jerry Springer lost control while driving a friend’s vehicle on Interstate 80 and rolled the vehicle several times killing him instantly.”

The spurious story of Springer’s death continues:

“Toxicology tests will be performed to determine whether he was driving under the influence, however initial findings indicate that durgs [sic] or alcohol did not contribute in any way to this accident as it was more likely to been caused by road conditions … Memorial services for Jerry Springer have not yet been announced. The service is expected to be a closed casket funeral due to the severe head trauma.”

If the typos weren’t enough to convince you that Jerry Springer isn’t dead, note that this story (and the ones to inevitably follow) was not picked up by Inquisitr, CNN, TMZ, or any other reputable sites. Have you ever been tricked by a celebrity death hoax?

Jerry Springer Dead In Latest News Troll, Legendary Talk Show Host Actually Alive And Well is a post from: The Inquisitr

UPDATE OF THE UPDATE: In the article, we linked to a smaller “Morgan Freeman Death” Facebook page. The real action is going on at this Facebook group – it’s sitting at over 500k “likes!” Go forth, readers! Flag and flame to put a stop to the idiots perpetuating this ridiculous rumor!

UPDATE: As of this posting, it appears that the “thousands” of fooled masses have figured it out, as the R.I.P. Morgan Freeman Facebook page has shrunk in status to about 30 “likes.” Good job, people!

Morgan Freeman is dead. On Facebook. Yes, the respected actor has become the latest celebrity victim of the fabled “social media death hoax,” a ruthless killer that has claimed many of our beloved celebrities this year.

An R.I.P. Morgan Freeman Facebook page was created on September 5, 2012 claiming that the actor is dead, in much the same way that Bill Cosby was “killed” a short time ago in his own celebrity death hoax. The Cosby death hoax stirred mostly anger and disappointment in people (including a friend of the Cos, who was reportedly left in tears over the rumor) who said that the page was created for no good reason whatsoever, aside from attention and the maker’s contention that it was a “funny prank.” Not so, said the internet. Now, this “thoughtless” and “mean” prank has claimed another: The Dark Knight Rises star Morgan Freeman.

Morgan Freeman is currently in stable condition, recovering from a celebrity death hoax started on Facebook. This viral condition has affected dozens of celebrities just this year, including wrestler/actor John Cena, magician/professional creeper David Blaine, and children’s scientist Bill Nye.

Freeman will have to defend his status as a living celebrity once again (he’s battled fake death hoaxes before, notes NYDaily) in the face of thousands upon thousands of “likes” piling up on the R.I.P. Morgan Freeman page.

“Celebrities are still normal people with family members and friends just like us. How would you feel if someone said your most precious loved one has passed away? You can’t joke about someone’s death,” wrote one Facebook user.

The best way to combat celebrity death hoaxes, as noted by MStarz, is to battle the temptation to “tweet it” until the report can be verified by one of the major and respected media outlets, like this one here. You can also brush up on your Death Hoax spotting skills by taking the Inquisitr’s new Death Hoax 101 course.

So R.I.P., Morgan Freeman. Have a good rest of the day, sir.

Morgan Freeman Dead [On Facebook, Anyway] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bill Cosby has taken to Twitter to properly address the latest death hoax, which is his fifth overall. Apparently people love to kill off the comedian on social media websites, so much so that they keep coming back to the well for more. Despite the fact that this recent attempt didn’t include anything remotely convincing, it didn’t stop some users to buy into the rumor.

According to EnStarz, Cosby doesn’t find the whole death hoax thing to be even remotely amusing. In fact, he’s quite upset by the trend and is growing tired of having to address the rumors whenever they pop up.

“Emotional friends have called about this misinformation,” Cosby explained on Twitter. “To the people behind the foolishness, I’m not sure you see how upsetting this is.”

MStarz reports that the recent rumor began when one Facebook user decided to create a “R.I.P. Bill Cosby” page on the social media site for the sole purpose of causing trouble. Within two days, the page had amassed over 315,000 followers, many of whom were more than a little irritated that someone would go to the trouble of spreading such an evil rumor.

After the story was picked up by numerous news outlets and organizations, the page’s creator decided to officially set things straight.

“With the recent slowdown of likes and high amount of attention from news sources (mostly terrible gossip websites), I have come to the conclusion that I should tell you all the truth,” he explained. “Bill Cosby is not deceased. I made around 315,000 people angry. Anyway I trolled the hell out of all of you and you should be ashamed. I love you all for making me laugh at your stupidity for the past day and a half. You’re great.”

The user also warned folks that more fake celebrity death news would soon follow. Behold the awesome power of social media.

Do you think that celebrity death hoaxes are funny or cruel?

Bill Cosby Responds To Latest Death Hoax is a post from: The Inquisitr

Another day, another death hoax. Russell Brand was the victim of a celebrity death rumor today which claimed that the comedian passed away after a snowboard accident in Switzerland.

The fake news report reads:

“Actor Russell Brand is reported to have died shortly after a snowboard accident earlier today – August 26, 2012. The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Russell Brand lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed.”

The story, which was published by Global Associated News and passed around Twitter, may sound familiar to fans of Eddie Murphy. The famous comedian, who has been killed off three times this year, was also not the victim of a snowboarding accident in Switzerland.

Brand sent out a tweet last night assuring his fans that he was, indeed, still alive.

Brand tweeted a link to the fake story and wrote: Bloody hell. I better cancel the milk.

The British comedian isn’t the first celebrity to meet his doom on Twitter this year. Usher, Vanilla Ice, James Blunt, Paul McCartney, Mr. Bean, Reba McEntire, Adam Sandler, and Robin Williams have all been killed off on the social networking site.

Bloody hell. I better cancel the milk. russell.brand.mediafetcher.com/news/top_stori…

— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) August 25, 2012

Russell Brand Dies On Twitter, Decides To Cancel The Milk is a post from: The Inquisitr

Reese Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth rushed to the hospital Tuesday night, reportedly over concerns that their baby was to arrive early. Despite their concerns, Witherspoon is reportedly fine, and the impromptu hospital visit was only a precaution.

Reese Witherspoon’s bun isn’t quite ready to come out of the oven, but she took a trip to an LA hospital with husband Jim Toth Tuesday night just in case. “Doctors are keen on keeping her from going into an early labor so the baby’s development will go to full term,” said a source cited by the Miami Herald. Despite concern sparked over Witherspoon’s sudden hospitalization with reports dramatically claiming that the actress had been “rushed back to the hospital” after an initial visit, reports now say that she’s “perfectly healthy and fine.”

“There is no drama,” adds a source cited by MSN Wonderwall.

Witherspoon’s child will be the first for husband Jim Toth, and, according to RadarOnline, he’s nervous about an early labor.

“Jim is really worried about the baby,” said a source close to the family. “He’s a first-time father so this is all really new to him and he just wants everything to be okay.”

“He’s a bundle of nerves. Meanwhile, this will be Reese’s third child, so she’s been through this before and she’s trying to keep him calm,” the source added.

Witherspoon found herself in the news earlier in the month over yet another celebrity death hoax perpetuated by Twitter. When 70-year-old actor John Witherspoon was reported as dead on the microblogging site, users seeing the words “Witherspoon” and “dead” jumped to conclusions and started reporting the untimely passing of the 36-year-old actress. Faux-news websites quickly picked up on this, with one site reporting that she had been gruesomely stabbed to death.

Luckily, the rumors of Witherspoon’s demise were completely unfounded, and even John Witherspoon is still alive and well. Additionally, Witherspoon’s fans can breathe easy over her would-be baby drama too. The actress is doing just fine.

Reese Witherspoon Rushed To Hospital Over Baby Drama is a post from: The Inquisitr

Easy, Twitter! Adam Sandler is alive and well despite erroneous reports to the contrary courtesy of prank website Global Associated News.

Global faux-reported that, “The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Adam Sandler lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed,” continuing that the funny man ,”was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash.”

Global allows its users to enter a celebrity name which is then plugged-in to generated celebrity death headline. Over the past several years, they have been responsible for “killing off” Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, Luke Perry, Denzel Washington, and Ryan Gosling (all of whom are in excellent health as of this posting).

But Sandler is totally fine. The 45-year-old was on the set of Grown Ups 2 when the faux headline was making social media rounds Thursday, reports E!. His rep confirmed it, which has become something of an annual practice in Sandler’s camp. Rumors of his untimely death first popped up in 2010, and again last year.

According to Snopes, the difference between a media hoax and a genuine report is based on who gets hold of it and what they do with it afterwards. So if you see Twitter blowing up reporting someone’s death but the mainstream media is mostly silent (for instance, CBS news merely relegated its dismissal of the Sandler death hoax to its live feed), then you’re looking at a hoax.

Good thing, too. I’ve been looking forward to Grown Ups 2.

Adam Sandler Dead? Nope, Shooting Grown Ups 2 is a post from: The Inquisitr

The rumor that actor and comedian Robin Williams is dead is just the latest in a long line of Twitter death hoaxes or users conflating information to reach an erroneous conclusion, and usually, a mix of the two.

Every few months, it seems there is a spike in “Robin Williams dead” searches after a spate of Twitter activity claiming the actor has died. And Robin Williams is far from the only celebrity frequently killed off accidentally by Twitter users, or on purpose by web trolls seeking out lulz or traffic.

So is Robin Williams dead? No. Neither is Mel Gibson, who has been pitched off an imaginary cliff at intervals by the internet death hoaxing webizens. Nor George Clooney, who was purported to have fallen off the selfsame cliff in New Zealand. Or even Rick Astley, Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire or Tom Cruise, all celebrities who have been prone to the death hoax urban legend.

One of the things that makes the “Robin Williams dead” rumor and those of its ilk so “sticky” is the fact that it comes from an undated, unverified web tale that may will mistake for an actual news story. So while some elements of a story like one that would run were Robin Williams dead remain (location, details, comment), a date is suspiciously left off, allowing the rumor that the actor has died to pop up every six months or so and confuse many people who are new to the story.

But it appears another unrelated circumstance has reignited the rumor that Robin Williams died- yesterday the music world lost Robin Gibb, a Bee Gee and a fellow 70′s star. Those too young to remember rollerskating to “Stayin’ Alive” or watching Mork and Mindy on the TV might have searched for a dead Robin from the 70′s, turning up one false story about how Robin Williams died in place of a truer one and giving the rumor credence once again.

Robin Williams Dead? How The Internet Rumor Mill Kills Off the Same Celebrities Time and Again is a post from: The Inquisitr

Is Cher dead or just the latest celebrity death hoax victim? The hashtag #RIP Cher became a trending topic on Twitter Thursday night and had many fans wondering whether the iconic singer had actually died.

Purportedly the rumor was started by Twitter user Lorraine_Star, who tweeted,

“RT @CNN: American recording artist Cher dies at 65 years old. Found dead in Malibu home.”

From there the rumor spread fast and even tricked a couple celebrities including reality TV star Kim Kardashian, who tweeted “Did I juist hear Cher has passed away? Is this real? OMG” to her 12,804,865 followers last night.

Though the “RIP Cher” tweets have spurred a variety of reactions which ranged from anger to tweets of concern and sadness, Cher fans can rest easy as the singer’s close friend, the jewellery designer Loree Rodkin, has set the record straight that Cher is alive and well:

“It’s a hoax. She’s fine,” Rodkin tweeted.

While the #RIP Cher topic is no longer listed on either the worldwide or United States top trends at the time of this writing, the tweets are still coming.

Cher’s death hoax is just the latest in a long list of A-listers that include names like Etta James, Jackie Chan, Hugh Hefner, Jim Carrey, Fred Savage, Britney Spears and several others.

Were you one of the ones tricked by the Cher death hoax? Do you think that spreading celebrity death rumors on Twitter is funny or just plain stupid?

Cher Not Dead: Singer Becomes Latest Celebrity Death Hoax Victim is a post from: The Inquisitr