The Internet has been saying the actor Michael J. Fox is dead, but that information is false, and the actor is alive and just the latest celebrity to be the subject of an online death hoax.
A fake Facebook page has been created that gives an untrue account of the actor's "death."
"At about 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, our beloved actor Michael J. Fox passed away," the site reads. "Michael J. Fox was born on June 9, 1961 in Edmonton. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page."
The Facebook page is set up, like many fake pages claiming celebrities have died who are actually alive and well. They ask people to like and comment on the page, bringing it to the attention of more people, and thereby perpetrating false rumors. Sometimes the rumors end up going viral on Twitter as well.
Michael J. Fox has been the subject of fake death rumors before. In 2010, the "Today Show" reported he had died, though it was a mistake. They had intended to report that sports figure Terry Fox had died.
Many celebrities have begun taking to Twitter themselves to combat the death rumors, by posting that they are alive and didn't have whatever unfortunate accident was reported to kill them actually befall them.
Some celebrities have even been the victim of the Internet celebrity death hoax multiple times. A popular cause of death is falling off a mountain, a snowboarding accident and a car accident, though some rumors do get more creative, and as such, much more disturbing, such as a rumor that Miley Cyrus filmed a suicide video before killing herself.
Fans find these false rumors very upsetting. The best thing to do when a celebrity is reported dead is to look a reputable major news sites and see if there is any report about the incident. If not, it is likely a hoax.
Michael J. Fox, who suffers from Parkinsons disease, stars on the "Michael J. Fox Show," which is about his a character with the disease, based on himself.
Recent victims of Internet death hoaxes have included Cyndi Lauper, Justin Timberlake, Jackie Chan, Kristen Stewart, Amanda Bynes, Hillary Clinton and Angelina Jolie.
Video of the "Today Show" reporting Fox's death by mistake.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
