John Waters is dead. At least that's what a report is saying. However the filmmaker didn't die. He's just the victim of an Internet death hoax. John Waters is just fine.
A report appeared on Thursday saying that Waters, the "Hairspray" director and writer, was found dead in his home. The report, "Acclaimed Cult Filmmaker, John Waters... Drops Dead at 67!" on Nationalreport.com reads:
"One of the world's greatest filmmakers John Waters was found dead in his home early this morning by his domestic staff. Authorities believe Waters died of natural causes but are awaiting autopsy results."
National Report looks like a legitimate news site and the report reads like a real obituary, aside from a few misspellings and some tongue-in-cheek editorializing by writer Nigel Covington. However the report is fake. National Report posts fake news.
Covington posted the article to his Twitter and Facebook account saying "Breaking News!," which resulted in many spreading the rumor. Fans who came across the report fell for the hoax. Many took to Twitter to mourn and question the loss of Waters. Some examples of tweets include:
"Sad news... John Waters is dead at 67."
"If John Waters is actually dead, I'm very, very sad. Grateful I got to meet him and have him tell me he loved my name and piercings."
"JOHN WATERS DIED!!! Nooooooo!!!!"
"Just seen tweets saying that film maker John Waters has died!? What the hell :-( "
"Is it true that the great John Waters has died? So incredibly sad. 67 is too young. Great filmmaker. Great guy. RIP"
Some who came across the report started to search for other sources confirming the death. Since Waters didn't actually die, no other news source had reported his passing.
Waters isn't dead, but he is set to appear at Orlando's Come Out With Pride's Out in the Open Film Festival in October, according to SFGN.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
