Valentino Rossi is dead. At least that's what the Internet is saying. However the professional motorcycle racer didn't die. He's just the victim of an Internet media death hoax that won't go away. Valentino Rossi is just fine.
A story by Global Associated News appeared this week saying that Rossi died in a car crash has a story that says, "Valentino Rossi died in a single vehicle crash on Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics responding to the vehicle accident and was identified by photo ID found on his body. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor in this accident - July 17, 2013.
Highway Safety Investigators have told reporters that Valentino Rossi lost control while driving a friend's vehicle on Interstate 80 and rolled the vehicle several times killing him instantly.
The vehicle was believed to have been traveling at approximately 95 miles per hour in a 55mph zone at the time of the accident.
Witnesses have stated that Valentino Rossi's car crossed the double lines several times prior to the accident and hit the center lane divider causing the vehicle to flip and roll."
Since there are so many details to the story, it may be easy to believe, but the story is fake. Global Associated News creates fake death reports.
A message in fine print at the bottom of the site reads, "FAKE... THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes! this story was dynamically generated using a generic 'template' and is not factual. Any reference to specific individuals has been 100% fabricated by web site visitors who have created fake stories by entering a name into a blank 'non-specific' template for the purpose of entertainment."
Rossi is alive and well. This same hoax was going around back in January and over the last few months. Despite it being false, some fans on Twitter got word of the rumor and started to mourn and question Rossi's death. Some examples of tweets include:
"Seriously? Valentino Rossi dead?"
"R.I.P valentino rossi was dead when he tried new motorcycle."
"RIP Valentino Rossi"
"RIP The Doctor Valentino Rossi O:)"
Rossi is just one of many celebrities to be killed off by the Internet. Since Global Associated News reports come from a generator, several celebrities have died in the same exact car crash. Only the names are different. Some other celebrities to die in this car crash hoax include singer Don Omar, singer Jesse McCartney, singer Bruno Mars, South African politician Julius Malema and many more.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
