This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Manning Bartlett (talk | contribs) at 03:13, 4 July 2009 (removed merge tag - AGAIN. Asked for explanation from user - AGAIN. We are both in violation of 3RR now so please stop it.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 03:13, 4 July 2009 by Manning Bartlett (talk | contribs) (removed merge tag - AGAIN. Asked for explanation from user - AGAIN. We are both in violation of 3RR now so please stop it.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A celebrity death hoax is a false report of the death of a living public figure. In recent years hoaxes of this type have been most widely perpetuated via the Internet. However they are not a new phenomenon; in 1945 following the death of Franklin Roosevelt there were hoax reports of the deaths of Charlie Chaplin and Frank Sinatra, among other celebrities of the time. Possibly the most famous hoax of this type was the "Paul (McCartney) is Dead" rumour of the late 1960s.
Hoaxes about the death of a celebrity increase in frequency when genuine major news events occur. With the 2009 death of Michael Jackson, hoax reports emerged concerning the deaths of Jeff Goldblum, Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, Harrison Ford, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rick Astley.
References
- "Celebrity Death Hoaxes". MSN UK. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- "FLOOD OF RUMORS GIVES CITY JITTERS". NY Times. 1945-04-14. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
- "Celebrity hoaxes continue after Jackson death". Ninemsn Australia. 2009-07-01. Retrieved 2009-07-02.