Michael J. Fox Dead? Actor Becomes Victim of Celebrity Death Hoax on Facebook and Twitter
Michael J. Fox is dead -- if you believe those pesky celebrity death rumors.
The actor, who is battling Parkinson’s disease, has become the latest death hoax victim.
The new Michael J. Fox death hoax begins by claiming the existence of a fake Facebook page which says:
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Saturday (October 05, 2013), our beloved actor Michael J. Fox passed away. Michael J. Fox was born on June 9, 1961 in Edmonton. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page."
This isn’t the first time Michael J. Fox's death has hit the Internet. Back in 2010, the Today Show accidentally said Michael J. Fox was dead instead of Canadian sports hero Terry Fox.
Then in 2012, the search phrase "Michael J. Fox obituary" inexplicably became popular on the Internet.
The power of social media is causing many stars like Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Jon Bon Jovi to become victims of death hoaxes.
Bieber has reportedly "died" more than fifty times in 2013 -- making him the most often reported celebrity to be dead, according to a study of death rumors on Twitter. The pop superstar's death is falsely reported roughly every two weeks, according to Synthesio, a global social media and analysis company. Second on the dead-but-not-reall-dead list was Zayn Malik of One Direction. Rihanna and Chris Brown also were regularly reported deceased in the past three months.
Denzel Washington's death hoax started when rumors swirled that he had victim to a freaky snowboarding accident. But his publicist shot down the reports. "He is working on location in Atlanta currently," his rep said.
Country singer Reba McEntire took to Twitter to tell her fans she was alive and well and didn't die in Austria. "While I would love to be shooting a movie in Austria, I definitely did not fall off a mountain! Nor am I dead! I am alive and kicking!!!" she tweeted.
After facing a death hoax, Jon Bon Jovi posted a picture as physical evidence that he had not died via cardiac arrest. In the photo, he's holding a sign reading, "Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey," dated Dec. 19, 2011 at 6 p.m., along with the message, "Rest assured that Jon is alive and well! This photo was just taken."
