Chumlee, a poular figure on the History Channel reality show Pawn Stars , is alive and well. But the internet seems determined to kill him off. The 31-year-old pawn shop employee-turned-media celebrity once again was forced to take to Twitter Wednesday to proclaim himself alive.
May we live long, Rich forever.
— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) March 12, 2014
Last year, Chumlee — the nickname for Austin Russell — was the subject of not one but two death hoaxes , one of which claimed he had died of an overdose of marijuana, a cause of death that is unlikely in the extreme for anyone .
The Chumlee death hoaxes seem to trace back to an article on the site eBuzzd , which specializes in posting false reports of celebrity deaths. It seems that what makes a good death hoax is one that is, of course, false — but seems like it could be true. For example, eBuzzd was behind a Betty White death hoax that made the rounds of the internet earlier this year.
In the case of Chumlee, as anyone who watches Pawn Stars knows, he has what could be politely described as a weight problem. Which is why today’s Chumlee death hoax, claiming that the reality TV figure had died of a heart attack , had some legs. It seemed plausible.
However, Chumlee has been addressing that problem, making not only death hoaxes but his actual death less likely anytime soon. In January, Chumlee revealed that he had recently adopted a regimen of healthy eating and exercise — resulting a 75-pound weight loss.
“I’m going to the gym six days a week,” Chumlee said in January. “I’m eating right. Well-balanced diet. I drink a juice smoothie every morning.”
He said that his father’s death from pancreatic cancer at the young age of just 54 motivated him to change his way of living.
I’m making sure I’m eating my vegetables and staying away from the red meat,” Chumlee said.
As Chumlee said in a tweet on Tuesday, “I want to live long.”
“@HausOfDemii: @chumlee_ I don’t want you to be skinny chum!” Well I want live long
— Austin Russell (@chumlee_) March 11, 2014
