Death of Gadhafi does not spell an end over confusion of his name

The death of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi causes confusion in the virtual world.

Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi, 69, was shot to death on Thursday by revolutionary fighters who overwhelmed his hometown of Sirte, according to the Associated Press.

In the virtual world where celebs rule, there’s still a battle over the correct spelling of his name.

“#Gadhafi is dead — someone reach into his wallet and look at his drivers license so we finally know how to spell his last name!” tweeted Opie of the Opie and Anthony Show on SiriusXM satellite radio.

“Today is a great victory for all of us who had a hard time spelling Gadhafi,” tweeted comedian Moshe Kasher.

“Reports of correct #Gadhafi spelling still not confirmed,” tweeted CNN’s Piers Morgan. “There are 50 versions, this is the #CNN one.”

Each of the major networks has their own version.

“No agreement on spelling: CBS: Qaddafi. ABC: Gadhafi. NBC: Khaddafy,” tweeted CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller.

According to The Washington Post, the problem stems from a lack of unified consensus on the translating of Arabic spelling. Hence, there are more than 100 variations of Gadhafi. (A note, SheKnows adheres to the Associated Press spelling of the name.)

“Gadhafi” seems to be the standard as that was the name trending high on Google most of the day. So magician David Copperfield was not exactly correct when on Thursday afternoon he tweeted, “I have a feeling Gadhafi is not trending because nobody knows how to spell his name on a cellphone.” But in essence, he was right.

Copperfield was exactly on point when he later said, “The best of luck to the Libyan people as they rebuild their nation.”

A few of Hollywood’s funny people chimed in tweets on Thursday. Comedian Jeffrey Ross fired off, “Moammar Gaddhafi is dead. He’s survived by his brothers Larry Gadhafi and Curly Gadhafi,” and Steve Martin concluded, “Lunch with Gadhafi, cancelled.”

Photo courtesy of WENN