Jack Black is Not Dead: Celebrity Death Hoaxes

 

A celebrity death hoaxes seems to be a daily occurrence on social media these days, with some leading to the celebrities actually having to confirm that they are indeed still breathing.

Whilst the Internet has made the dissemination of these hoaxes easier, it is not a new concept. On the death of President Franklin Roosevelt in 1945, rumours were reported that both legendary silent film actor Charlie Chaplin and swing singer Frank Sinatra had both passed away too.

Here is a run down of some of the death hoaxes that have hit the web over the last decade:

A lot of people would argue that false stories like these come with the nature of fame.

However, it must be considered that despite their level of stardom they are human beings first and foremost. They have families and friends who may be deeply upset over false claims of their death. Also, celebrities are often travelling the world for many reasons and often, social media is quicker in picking up a story than genuine news sites as they are rarely fact checked. Imagine logging into Twitter and finding out your famous parent or sibling had been killed in a tragic car accident only for this to be complete nonsense. It could have devastating effects.

The celebrities themselves may also be traumatised over the falsities. Marcus Garvey, a Jamaican political leader and black nationalist, suffered a stroke in January 1940. The Chicago Defender published mistakenly published his obituary, which Garvey read. It is alleged that as a result of reading his premature death announcement, he suffered another stroke and died. Quite obviously, this a very extreme case if true but i could happen.

It goes to show that people in the public eye can be effected by death hoaxes and that, although a seemingly permanent fixture in the realms of the web, should be taken with caution and if possible prevented.