Celebrities Who Had to Refute Rumors of Their Own Deaths

News travels fast, and, sadly misinformation moves at the same speed as genuine news. In fact, misinformation is often much faster than the truth. Sometimes, rumors of celebrity deaths catch up to the supposed deceased and they have to clarify that they’re fine! Here are ten times celebs have confirmed that they’re still alive.

Jimmy Carter

Former US President Jimmy Carter is definitely alive, though that didn’t stop Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) from falling for a very obvious hoax on Twitter in July 2024. The elected congressman genuinely thought Jimmy Carter’s own office would put out a letter in which the former president was described as “going soft on the Soviet Union” and “failing to get hostages out of Iran.” Lee retweeted the image, stating that his “thoughts and prayers” were with Carter’s family. Oops!

Ozzy Osbourne

Famous metal rocker Ozzy Osbourne is no stranger to dark subject matter. When he discovered a YouTube series purporting that he’d recently passed away, he remarked, “I’m not really dead […] Just a little flesh wound.” While he was treating the situation with humor, he was actually quite frustrated while discussing the event on the podcast The Osbournes.

Josh Seiter

Reality star Josh Seiter was the victim of a death hoax in August 2023 when a hacker took control of his social media accounts and alleged that he’d died after a lengthy battle with depression. Seiter is, thankfully, fine, but was very angry that someone would make light of his (very real) mental health struggles.

George R.R. Martin

A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin was the victim of a death hoax in 2016. Writing on his personal blog, he quoted Mark Twain’s famous quip that “the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” before sweetly adding that he was touched that his fans cared enough about him to be so invested in the fake news of his passing.

King Charles

The King of England himself had to dispel rumors in March 2024 and prove that he was alive and well. A Russian news organization spread a hoax that he had passed away from the cancer he’d been diagnosed with a month prior.

Zach Braff

Beloved Scrubs actor Zach Braff got caught up in a bizarre death announcement hoax in 2014. Apparently, a fan of his created a very convincing fake CNN webpage with an announcement of the actor’s passing in order to fool a friend as a private prank. The page was somehow discovered and gained traction, with Braff having to publicly announce that he was fine.

Lil Tay

In late 2023, internet personality and musician Lil Tay had her Instagram account hacked. The hacker got to work spreading misinformation that Tay and her brother had both passed away. Official sources rushed to clarify the report with Tay’s official email address, which the hacker responded to by confirming the deaths. Tay herself finally got things under control by telling everyone she was fine, but the event really shook her up and was emotionally draining, she said.

Britney Spears

Pop star Britney Spears has been at the center of plenty of controversies over her career. In 2016, Sony Music’s Twitter account was hacked and claimed that Spears had died. Thankfully, the singer was fine and a spokesperson for Spears quickly clarified that the false report was due to a hacking attack.

Jerry Lee Lewis

In a bit of a sad twist, TMZ incorrectly reported that singer Jerry Lee Lewis had passed away in October 2022… two days before he actually died. The 87-year-old singer was suffering from serious health issues at the time, but the timing of the false report was less than ideal, to say the least.

Tanya Roberts

Similarly, Tanya Roberts was reported dead in January 2021 after she was hospitalized for a urinary tract infection that had shifted into full-blown sepsis. Publicist Mike Pingel was informed by Roberts’ boyfriend, Lance O’Brien, that she had passed away. Bizarrely, she was actually alive at the time, though she did pass away from the medical condition the next day.