Fans of The Walking Dead were shocked over the past week when a story about Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) began circulating social media. The story indicated that he had died while on vacation.
Global Associated News reported that Andrew Lincoln died in an incident involving a snowboard. The blurb stated that he was at the Zermatt Ski Resort in Switzerland with a group of family and friends. It went on to state that witnesses saw him lose control of his board and crash into a tree. Lincoln was then airlifted to a hospital where he was found to be dead.
It is very important for readers to know that the Global Associated News is a fake new source. It is a generator that uses a generic template to create false stories about celebrities. There’s even a disclaimer on the site that states clearly that the stories created using the generator are fictional and used solely for entertainment purposes.
Andrew Lincoln is not dead.
Despite that fact, Twitter exploded with fans of The Walking Dead freaking out. People were not only mourning Andrew Lincoln, they were also mourning the show. Although Lincoln is definitely alive, it’s dangerous for fans to put all their hopes for a show on a single actor. Especially since Robert Kirkman has outright said that, “ no character is too popular to die .” That includes Andrew Lincoln’s Rick Grimes character.
Rumors of Andrew Lincoln’s death are still circulating, spreading false fears about the future of The Walking Dead . Currently, Lincoln is at a hospital location, along with fellow death-hoax-victim Norman Reedus, filming for The Walking Dead Season 5. WalkingDead Wetpaint tweeted a photo of the two actors together during filming.
The Walking Dead Season 5: See Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus at Hospital Set (PHOTO) http://t.co/of33sO3mGn
— WalkingDead Wetpaint (@TWDwetpaint) June 18, 2014
More rumors have circulated about Andrew Lincoln. Apparently, there is no truth to the common belief that Lincoln was seen being filmed with a green-screen arm.
The Walking Dead isn’t the only show to have their actors become victims of internet death hoaxes. Global Associated News used the same death story (snowboarding into a tree) to start a death hoax involving Sylvester Stallone . The news source is also responsible for the rumors about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson falling to his death in New Zealand. They can’t claim the viral hoax on Charlie Hunnam, though. His death hoax rumor was started by Mediamass.net. Those are only the death hoaxes circulating as of this month.
Remember to know your fake news sources before panicking over a story. The Onion , Hollywood Leek , El Koshary Today , ScrapeTV , and Global Associated News are all satire-based news sources. When in doubt over whether something may or may not be a hoax, check Snopes.com , a site dedicated to correcting rumors.
[ Image courtesy of blogsense2s ]
