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.
Rumors started swirling that Rossi died. A message appeared on social media sites, saying Rossi died in a test lap on the all new YZRM1, about an hour ago. Some of the messages were accompanied by a picture. When clicking on it, it shows a squirrel disguised as Rossi. It seems to be nothing more than a joke.
Some may also have come across a report by Global Associated News which said 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 - September 6, 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."
This report has been going around for a few months now. It was big around January and mid-July. 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:
"A sad day for world motorsports fans,Valentino Rossi died in a test lap on the all new Yamaha"
"What happened to Valentino Rossi? He died?"
"Is it true? Valentino Rossi died in a bike accident?""
"#ValentinoRossi died in Spain for a test lap."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
