Rowan Atkinson is not dead, but somehow the Mr. Bean death rumors can’t seem to be put to rest.
For more than a year, Atkinson has faced rumors of his death, all of them of course untrue. The original rumor dates back until at least 2012, when a rumor spread through Twitter that Mr. Bean had died.
It managed to fool a number of media outlets as well as pop star Justin Bieber , who tweeted:
“R.I.P. Rowan Atkinson: Stop joking. Remember he’s Mr.Bean – who was a part of your childhood and grew up with you. RT to show your respect.”
This week, new rumors emerged saying the 58-year-old actor took his own life spread on Twitter and Facebook. According to the reports, Rowan Atkinson committed suicide when he found out he’d been dropped from the Johnny English sequel.
The fake Rowan Atkinson suicide report enticed readers with something called a “suicide video.”
It read:
“English Actor Comedian Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) died at 58 after committing suicide. The comedian committed suicide right after the producer remove him on Johnny English 3. Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) recorded a suicide video with a message to his producer and fans around the world. (watch more).”
Of course, all parts of the statement were a hoax — there is no Johnny English sequel at all.
The Rowan Atkinson death hoax was actually a front to get Facebook users to click on a malicious plug-in that would spread spam and viruses.
The security website Online Threats Alert warned: ‘There is no video and Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) did not commit suicide. If you install the so-called ‘Facebook Media Plug-in’ by clicking on the link, you will install a malicious computer program that will infect your computer with a virus or Trojan horse.”
The Rowan Atkinson death hoax is one of dozens to sweep through the internet and social media. In the past few months, countless celebrities have “died” on Twitter, including Morgan Freeman , Will Smith, Miley Cyrus, and even Alfonso Ribiero.
