Death hoax

Death hoax


A death hoax is a deliberate or confused report of someone's death that turns out to be incorrect[1][2][3] and murder rumors.[3] In some cases it might be because the person has intentionally faked death.

Contents

Celebrity death hoaxes

In recent years fake death hoaxes about celebrities 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.[1][4] 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 celebrity deaths occur. With the 2009 death of Michael Jackson, which closely coincided with the deaths of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Billy Mays, hoax reports emerged concerning the deaths of a number of celebrities.[5]

Death denial rumors

An opposite phenomenon is death denial rumors: claims that a person being alive, despite official announcements of death.[2] Notable cases are Elvis Presley, Andy Kaufman and Tupac Shakur.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Celebrity Death Hoaxes". MSN UK. 2009-07-01. http://celebrity.uk.msn.com/news/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=151878933. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  2. ^ a b "Hippo eats dwarf: a field guide to hoaxes and other B.S.", by Alex Boese, 2006, ISBN 0156030837 , pp. 261, 262
  3. ^ a b "Ordinary reactions to extraordinary events", by Ray Broadus Browne, Arthur G. Neal, 2001, ISBN 0879728345, chapter "Dead or Alive", pp. 21-42
  4. ^ "FLOOD OF RUMORS GIVES CITY JITTERS". NY Times. 1945-04-14. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10D17FD3A5B10728FDDAD0994DC405B8588F1D3. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  5. ^ "Celebrity hoaxes continue after Jackson death". Ninemsn Australia. 2009-07-01. http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technology/832437/celebrity-hoaxes-continue-after-jackson-death. Retrieved 2009-07-02.