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 Inquisitr usually 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!
