News William Perry, a football great, had passed away saddened social media users today.
But as we often see nowadays, William Perry was not dead — just the victim of a wildfire-like and incorrect rumor.
It seems as if a now removed post on TigerNet started the William Perry death rumors, but the page is now removed.
Another post has appeared about Twitter reports of Perry’s death, citing confusion stemming from the death of another man — also named William Perry.
In the post, TigerNet does not mention the original post that gave rise to the viral rumor, simply stating that Twitter got carried away with the William Perry death report.
The site says :
“The Clemson Alumni Association has been in touch with Michael Dean Perry and he said that his brother is ‘alive and well.’… There were several reports on twitter this morning of William Perry passing but it appears it was another William Perry that caused the confusion.”
While Twitter may have carried “several reports,” most seem to link back to the post on TigerNet.
Clemson source Tim Bourret tweeted that William Perry is alive and well, saying:
Some have reported that William Perry passed away today. This is not correct. He is fine.
— Tim Bourret (@TimBourret) August 14, 2013
TigerNet also tweeted:
TigerNet: Michael Dean Perry confirms Fridge Alive and Well: http://t.co/aJo7D0nfCw #Clemson
— TigerNet.com (@ClemsonTigerNet) August 14, 2013
Twitter users didn’t forget where they first heard the incorrect info, however, replying:
@ClemsonTigerNet Um, how about some apologies for your bad reporting? I think you especially need to call the family and say sorry
— Tommy Johnson (@tjtwostep) August 14, 2013
@ClemsonTigerNet well that was amateurish
— Chad Adams (@chadadams71) August 14, 2013
However, other users point out that while Perry is alive, his health is still reportedly failing:
Define “well.” RT @ClemsonFB Our William Perry is still alive and well.
— Sam Charles (@SamJCharles) August 14, 2013
Our William Perry is still alive and well.
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) August 14, 2013
To complicate matters, it seems the William Perry who died was from the same town .
