For some reason, social media loves to announce fake celebrity deaths. Perhaps it’s the allure of getting 15 minutes of fame or maybe it is the speed of today’s news cycle. Either way, a fair few musicians have had to read about their own deaths and attempt to set the record straight.
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Find five of the biggest musician death hoaxes, below.
1. Cher
In 2012, Cher was reportedly found dead in her Malibu home. The rumor was said to have been started by user @Lorraine_Star, who has a number of brash tweets. It was ultimately disproven, but not before it scared a few fans – notably Kim Kardashian.
“Did I just hear Cher has passed away?” Kardashian asked on Twitter (Per the Hollywood Reporter). “Is this real? OMG.” Kardashian and the rest of the world eventually found out it was just a cruel joke, but the grief was real while it lasted.
2. Kid Rock
In 2017, a prank website, Channel23News, decided to use Kid Rock as an example of the type of service they could provide. “Create A Prank And Trick All Your Friends! Simply Create Your Own Prank And Then Share It On Your Social Network Pages,” the website claimed (per Yahoo!).
What followed was evidence that many people prefer to skim links their friends send them as opposed to reading them intently. The fake article revealed that Kid Rock had died as a result of a meth cooking accident. The joke was eventually revealed in the story, but many readers didn’t get that far, leaving them to believe that the controversial singer had passed.
[RELATED: Fans React to Photo of Kid Rock Drinking Bud Light Again]
3. Beyoncé
Speaking of fake articles: Beyoncé also fell victim to a bout of misinformation in 2015. There was an altered CNN article floating around that claimed Queen Bey had passed away in a car accident. Her Bey Hive did not take the news well, which is no surprise given their fervor for the pop icon.
As is evident by her lauded Renaissance Tour, Beyoncé is still alive and performing to great appeal today.
[RELATED: Beyoncé Packs in Stadiums like a Night Club with Renaissance World Tour: See Setlist]
4. Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber has been the target of several online death hoaxes. The most recent incident happened in March of this year. “USA ( RIP ) Justin Bieber died after crashing at over 100mph, coroner’s report reveals 05.03.2023,” one website wrote. That one announcement was all that was needed for the rumor to take off. Very quickly a commemorative hashtag began flying around Twitter.
Luckily, The Beebs is alive. He has been continually updating fans on his Ramsay Hunt Syndrome diagnosis, proving he is very much with us. This isn’t Bieber’s first brush with fake death and it likely won’t be his last. According to a study done on Twitter death hoaxes, Bieber has been rumored to be dead more than any other artist.
5. Paul McCartney
Perhaps one of the most famous celebrity death hoaxes is that of Sir Paul McCartney. Long before Twitter was even a thought, the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy theory began flying around in the ’60s. As the rumor goes, McCartney died in a car crash and, because he was loved by so many, Britain’s MI5 decided to have him replaced by a look-alike.
McCartney has vehemently denied that accusation, but it still floats around to this day.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
