24 Celebs Who Were Rumored to Have Died — but Didn’t

Taylor Swift

According to E! in August 2012, a Twitter account that tried to pass itself off as being associated with MTV News claimed Taylor Swift was found dead in her home.

An earlier hoax happened in November 2009, where, according to CBS News, a made-up allergy killed Swift. She just can't catch a break!

Avril Lavigne

This is probably the wildest rumor of them all.

In 2003, it was rumored that Avril Lavigne was replaced by a lookalike named Melissa. That she was killed off and cloned. Strange, right? The rumor resurfaced in May 2017. Obviously this isn't true… or is it?

William Shatner

Just one day before his 87th birthday, it was falsely reported that William Shatner had died. Someone sent Shatner a tweet, letting him know about the hoax that was started when a company called Avocet Retail Sales sponsored an ad on Facebook Messenger that claimed the Star Trek actor had died. Shatner responded, saying, "Thank you. I’m not planning on dying so please continue to block those kinds of ads."

Bob Barker

This one would have been devastating to many if it was true. 

In July 2017, website Action News 3 published an article reporting that former The Price Is Right game show host Bob Barker died after falling and hitting his head in his home. While part of it is true — that Barker had sought medical treatment after falling and hitting his head at home — the claim that he died was absolutely false.

Britney Spears

In December 2016, Sony Music Global's verified Twitter account was hacked. A message went out to its then-614,000 followers that said, "RIP @britneyspears #RIPBritney 1981-2016." Soon after, the account sent out another tweet, saying, "britney spears is dead by accident! we will tell you more soon."

The tweets were deleted quickly, and CNN reported later that morning that the whole thing was a hoax.

"Britney Spears is alive and well, her rep tells CNN," reporter AnneClaire Stapleton tweeted. "It appears @SonyMusicGlobal erroneously tweeted her death. Sony rep says no comment."

Macaulay Culkin

You can't say this former child star doesn't have a great sense of humor. After rumors surfaced on Twitter convincing millions that Macaulay Culkin of Home Alone fame had died, he took matters into his own hands and poked fun at the situation, Weekend at Bernie's-style. Well played, sir.

Gabriel Iglesias

He might be one of the stars of ABC comedy Cristela, but according to a Facebook post, he's dead. The hoax went around the social media site in November 2014, but Iglesias made light of the situation with a humorous post. He said he was ready to "start eating carbs again."

Paul McCartney

The former Beatle might be the king of celebrity death rumors because he's had two major incidents. The first one occurred in 1966, when his death circulated with the rumor that an impostor secretly filled in for him. His second death occurred on Twitter in 2012. The truth is that McCartney is alive and well and still making incredible music.

Morgan Freeman

The Oscar-winning actor was the subject of Twitter rumors in December 2010, when CNN tweeted, "Breaking News: actor Morgan Freeman has passed away in his Burbank home." CNN had to go on record and claim it was not responsible for the tweet, although no one ever stepped forward to take the blame.

Cher

Let's turn back time to April 8, 2013, to see the horrible rumor that Cher had passed away. Poor Kim Kardashian couldn't even stand the news. She wrote on Twitter, "Did I just hear that Cher has passed away? Is this real? OMG." Don't ever mess with a reality star.

Jeff Goldblum

The Global Associated News loves to kill off celebrities by having them fall off a cliff in New Zealand. It was Goldblum's turn in 2009, but Natalie Portman, Tony Danza and Tom Hanks have also been plagued with the same rumor. Goldblum appeared on The Colbert Report a few weeks later to prove that he was still breathing.

Jackie Chan

The martial arts master has been the subject of numerous death hoaxes. The latest event happened in June 2013. Chan went on The Arsenio Hall Show and explained what happened. He said, "My manager called me in the United States asking, 'Are you OK?' 'I'm OK.' 'Everybody thought you'd died this morning!' 'What!' I said. 'No, no… don't worry, before I die I'll call you.'" He also posted to Facebook.

Emma Watson

In 2009, when the Harry Potter star was only 19 years old, vmecritical.com claimed that the actress passed away after driving over 80 miles per hour on narrow roads. Her rep had to send out a press release stating that Watson was just fine.

Paris Hilton

The socialite was the subject of one of the weirdest hoaxes in June 2007, when it was reported that Hilton was stabbed to death in prison. She was serving 45 days for driving while on probation for a drunk-driving conviction. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility had to correct the erroneous reports.

Justin Bieber

Twitter exploded when the rumor went around on March 11, 2012, that the Biebs had kicked the bucket. It was a very dramatic day for Beliebers. The "Boyfriend" singer was actually spending a wholesome day with his grandfather instead of wreaking havoc in Los Angeles.

Chris Brown

Two weeks after Bieber fictionally died, it was Brown's turn. His fans were equally dramatic, posting thoughts on YouTube like, "Rest in peace — may you be greeted in heaven by seventy virgins and a baseball bat. I know that's what you always wanted."

Cesar Millan

Reports swirled that Cesar Millan had died of a heart attack. Rest assured, although he was hospitalized, the famous dog trainer is alive and well. Millan didn't publicly confirm he's alive, but his loyal dog, Junior, posted a message on Facebook in December 2014, confirming his owner is "happy and healthy."

‘Chumlee’ Russell

The Pawn Stars gang simply wouldn't be the same without everyone's favorite lovable oaf, Austin "Chumlee" Russell. Essentially an honorary son to Rick and brother to Corey, Chumlee has long endeared himself to fans with his big heart, dingbat behavior and, well, being the butt of jokes. In March 2014, internet hoaxers took aim, falsely reporting that Chumlee had died following a heart attack.

Wayne Elliot Knight

In March 2014, rumors began trending that Wayne Knight — better known to most as Seinfeld's "Newman" — had perished in a car crash while traveling in Pennsylvania. Surprised at the outpouring of support in response to the bogus news, the actor tweeted, "Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed, but… I am alive and well," later adding, "Thanks for all the love everybody. Glad to be breathing!"

Lil Wayne

In 2013, a video titled "RIP Lil Wayne, Rapper Found Dead" made its way around Facebook and other social media sites. It was obviously false.

Mark McGrath

Following a "breaking news" blast by a publicity firm in Los Angeles in February 2015, the outlook seemed bleak over the fate of rocker Mark McGrath. "Musician Mark McGrath has died at the age of 46," declared the blast. "McGrath was on set filming the second season of entertainment show Hot Package when he was confronted by a masked gunman and shot several times. The former Sugar Ray front man died in the arms of his cohost Derrick Beckles on the Hollywood set of the show." Apparently, the news was actually related to a storyline on the Season 2 premiere of Hot Package — McGrath himself took to Twitter to assure fans he is, in fact, alive and well.

Beyoncé

As death hoaxes go, the one targeting Beyoncé may be one of the cruelest we've seen. According to Gossip Cop, the internet hoaxers digitally altered a release to look like an official CNN report to dupe as many people as possible. The headline read "Music Sensation Beyoncé Knowles Dies in Car Crash," with the copy describing the alleged crash as "ghastly." To make matters worse, the perpetrators tweeted a picture of the wreckage from Paul Walker's deadly crash for added impact (so shameful!). In reality, Queen Bey is alive and thriving.

Rowan Atkinson

On July 16, 2016, rumors swirled that Mr. Bean star Rowan Atkinson had died by suicide. The story couldn't be more fake, though. According to the website Online Threat Alerts, this fake story circulated on Facebook and prompted users to click on a link to actually watch his suicide. (Sick, right?) The result? A virus that reportedly sends the story to users' respective Facebook friends. Moral of the story: Don't click on sketchy links! Oh, and don't believe everything you read on the internet.

Jaden Smith

You guys, Jaden Smith is OK. Despite the very persistent viral hoax that keeps making the rounds on social media, the young rapper/actor/son of Jada Pinkett and Will Smith most certainly has not committed suicide. It's hard to pinpoint precisely when the cruel hoax first surfaced, but suffice it to say that it seems to have staying power. In the extremely distasteful posts that keeps being uploaded and shared on social media, Smith is rumored to have left a farewell video for his father that the hoax uses as bait to convince unwitting fans of Smith's rumored untimely demise. In actuality, the hoax is a spam app. When a user clicks on the fake link, it allows the hoax to be posted on that person's Facebook page, thus perpetuating the entire cycle. But fear not! Not only is Jaden alive and well, he seems pretty unbothered by the nonsense.