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In the world of fame and fortune, celebrities often find themselves at the center of bizarre rumors and unfounded speculations. Among the most outlandish of these are false reports of their untimely deaths, which can be distressing for fans and stars alike.
Some of the most famous figures have been targets of intricate and well-orchestrated death hoaxes over the years. With the rise of social media, these rumors can spread rapidly, often outpacing the efforts of publicists and media teams who scramble to dispel them.
Both American and British celebrities have been subject to these hoaxes, with names like Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise, Denise Welch, and Bradley Walsh among those falsely reported as deceased.
Recently, Leigh-Anne Pinnock of Little Mix was the latest star to fall victim to such a hoax. A fake news clip falsely announcing her death circulated online, prompting outrage among her fans who deemed the prank as “disgusting.”
Fortunately, many celebrities manage to find humor in these situations, quickly reassuring their followers they are “alive and well.” They recognize they’re part of a strange tradition of death hoaxes that have targeted many before them, and likely will continue to do so in the future.
Luckily, most stars are quick to see the funny side, rushing to reassure fans they are ‘alive and well’, with the knowledge they are not the first star to be victim of the death hoax, and it’s unlikely they’ll be the last…
Bon Jovi
80s hitmaker Jon Bon Jovi quickly saw the funny side of claims that he’d met his demise back in 2011, after news outlet LA Times broke the news of his passing.
At the time, they claimed the music legend suffered a cardiac arrest at a hotel in New Jersey and later passed away in hospital, and almost immediately the star’s name started trending on Twitter.
Stars are no stranger to elaborate death hoaxes, and hitmaker Bon Jovi quickly saw the funny side of claims that he’d met his demise back in 2011
Bon Jovi put an end to the speculation in hilarious fashion, as he posted a festive snap of himself holding a sign that said: ‘Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey.’
The post was captioned: ‘Rest assured that Jon is fine – this photo was just taken.’
The LA Times later claimed some of the original report, which was from a blogging site, was copied from a newspaper article about the death of Michael Jackson in 2009.
Taylor Swift
As one of the biggest stars on the planet, typically, every move Taylor makes is dissected and watched by her devoted fanbase.
It’s no surprise then that the star has faced several death hoaxes over the years, her most prominent being in 2012.
The claims first began circulating when an account on X, then known as Twitter, posted stating they were associated with MTV News.
In 2012, Taylor Swift was hit by claims that she’d been found dead at her home, though many US news sites were quick to debunk the claims
They shared a claim that Taylor had been found dead at her home, but many US news sites were quick to debunk the claims.
Other hoaxes have previously claimed that Taylor died in a car accident, while rapper Kanye West also fell victim to similar claims after he famously interrupted her speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Sylvester Stallone
While he endured several rounds in the ring as the iconic movie boxer Rocky, Sylvester Stallone reassured fans he was still alive and well following claims he’d met his demise in 2018.
Pranksters began to circulate fake images that supposedly showed the actor in his ‘final days,’ and his name quickly soared to the top of internet searches.
The claims began while both Sylvester and his team were asleep in the US, meaning they were unaware that his legions of fans had begun to mourn his passing.
A historic 2012 clip of Sylvester discussing his son’s death even became the most-watched video on BBC News in the wake of the hoax.
Sylvester Stallone was forced to deny claims he’d died in 2018, after fake images claiming the be his ‘final days’ went viral (a similar death hoax is pictured)
But after discovering the ruse, Sylvester and his brother Frank, took to social media to shut down the claims, with the actor insisting he was ‘alive and well and happy and healthy’
But after discovering the ruse, Sylvester and his brother Frank, took to social media to shut down the claims.
‘Please ignore this stupidity,’ Sylvester wrote on Instagram. ‘Alive and well and happy and healthy.’
Frank also hit back at the perpetrators behind the death hoax, writing on X: ‘Rumors that my brother is dead are false
‘What kind of sick demented cruel mind thinks of things like this to post? People like this are mentally deranged and don’t deserve a place in society.’
Tom Cruise
He’s best known for his daring stunts as the iconic spy Ethan Hunt, but Tom Cruise was hit by reports in 2010 that he’d died in New Zealand.
The Hollywood star reportedly passed away after falling off a cliff in the Kiwi island, with even the star’s representatives baffled by the rumours.
Tom fell victim to a death hoax in 2010 when it was alleged he’d died after falling off a cliff in New Zealand. His publicist laughed off the claims
They confirmed that Tom wasn’t even in New Zealand when the death claims surfaced, and in actuality, he was in New York City.
‘This is completely not true,’ Tom’s publicist told E! News at the time. ‘Tom is not in New Zealand nor has he been there recently. This is erroneous and unreliable Internet garbage.’
Miley Cyrus
At the height of her Bangerz era in 2014, many of Miley’s devoted fans fell victim to a Facebook scam, after they started a hoax about her death.
The Facebook hoax read: ‘{SHOCKING) Miley Cyrus Found Dead in Her Los Angeles Home! Country singer Miley Cyrus found overdosed this afternoon in her Los Angeles home.’
The post then led users to fake social media site that encouraged users to share the post in a bid to spread fake surveys making money for the scammers.
When users clicked on the post, they were directed to a page that looked like Facebook before being encouraged to share the page further, spreading fake surveys that make money.
At the height of her Bangerz era in 2014, many of Miley’s devoted fans fell victim to a Facebook scam reporting her death, with sources saying she found the hoax ‘pretty funny’
While some fans did fall foul of the claims, a source close to the star said she found the entire hoax amusing.
‘She is aware of the death hoax and thought it was actually pretty funny,’ the insider told HollywoodLife.
‘By not responding, she thinks it is that much more of a joke because people are continuing to believe it. She has mentioned to friends that this is her Paul[McCartney] is dead Beatles moment.’
Ellen DeGeneres
Prior to her controversial departure from her daytime show, Ellen DeGeneres was the victim of several death hoaxes, with the most recent taking place in 2023.
Social media descended into a frenzy after a string of tweets were posted claiming the television personality had died, and while the star herself didn’t comment, the claims were quickly debunked.
‘I just realized Ellen Degeneres isn’t dead’ one user said on Twitter.
Another person tweeted: ‘Why did I think Ellen was dead?’
This has been one of several death hoaxes Ellen has dealt with over the years on social media.
Prior to her controversial departure from her daytime show, Ellen DeGeneres was the victim of several death hoaxes, with the most recent taking place in 2023
The hashtag #RIPEllen was trending back in July 2020 – with several users tweeting their ‘condolences.’
‘Is Ellen dead or not?! Y’all confusing tf out of me #ripellen’ wrote one confused Twitter user.
The tweets began after a rumor that the then 62-year-old comedian died after she jumped off the roof of a house.
However, that was proven to be false, and the hashtag eventually became a way for Twitter users to mock her ‘death’ with fake obituaries and photos of celebrities who look like her.
Denise Welch
Death hoaxes aren’t just targeted at flashy Hollywood names, as British TV favourite Denise Welch was also forced to deny claims of her passing back in 2023.
The Loose Woman star’s Wikipedia page was updated with a bizarre paragraph which read: ‘Denise Welch sadly was killed after being ran over by Kerry Riches’ mobility scooter after it was hijacked in a drunken rampage by Farida Khalifa, hair and make up artist for the traveller and gypsy community.’
Meanwhile, the edits also stated Denise was born on the Hollyoaks set in February this year despite the star leaving her role as Trish Minniver in the soap in January 2022, 13 months before Denise’s apparent birth.
Death hoaxes aren’t just targeted at flashy Hollywood names, as British TV favourite Denise Welch was also forced to deny claims of her passing back in 2023
Denise then took to Twitter to deny she was dead, assuring fans she was well and settling in at home to watch ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
The claims soon meant Denise’s name was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Denise then took to Twitter to deny she was dead, assuring fans she was well and settling in at home to watch ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!
She wrote: ‘I’m alive and well and about to watch the jungle. Thanks for your concern.’
Denise was soon trending on social media with many users commenting to express their shock at the trending news.
One person wrote: ‘I have been off Twitter for 1 hour, how have i missed so much? As if someone added this to Denise Welch’s Wikipedia. FARIDA IS INNOCENT.’
Someone else recounted: ‘So I shouted into my mum’s room, ‘Guess who’s dead DENISE WELCH’.
‘She shouted, ‘Whaaat? She was only on telly the other day god rest her soul’. Then I see in the comments Wikipedia got hacked.’
Bradley Walsh
As the presenter of much-loved shows including The Chase and Blankety Blank, Bradley Walsh is one of Britain’s most recognisable names.
So it was no surprise that there was an outpouring of grief when claims surfaced that he’d passed away in 2024.
The hoax began when a TikTok user posted on a fake BBC News page, called bbcnewshq, that Bradley had passed away.
Bradley Walsh was subject to a death hoax in early 2024, after a fake BBC News page reported on his death
The post read: ‘TV presenter, actor and singer, Bradley Walsh, dies aged 63 – BBC News.’
While ‘Bradley Walsh dead’ quickly started trending on X, Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist at BBC Verify, confirmed the claims were false.
He posted on X: ‘A fake BBC News video posted by a fake BBC News account on TikTok falsely reports the breaking news that Bradley Walsh has died.
‘The same account falsely reported the death of Sir David Attenborough last month. Both fabricated videos have been viewed over a million times.’
Peter Kay
Having taken a lengthy break from the spotlight before his comeback in 2022, Peter Kay has been the victim of several cruel death hoaxes over the years.
One such came in 2019, when the hashtag #RIPPeterKay was trending, after users wondered once again if the comedian had passed away and others reassuring them that he hadn’t.
Memes started to circulate and fans wrote: ‘Don’t worry folks #RIPPETERKAY is not true. He is alive and well and is just another hoax.
‘#RIPPETERKAY is a hoax, do not fall for it. If it was it would of been everywhere. The legend still lives on.’
Peter Kay has been the victim of several death hoaxes over the years, including one in 2019 when the hashtag #RIPPeterKay started trending
In March 2018, speculation rose after the comedian famed for his love of Blackpool and famous garlic bread joke cancelled a tour due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
He also said he needed to put his ‘family first’ and after he continued to stay out of the spotlight, people falsely claimed he had passed away.
And just weeks before that, in another eye roll moment, former Everton and England footballer Peter Reid wrongly posted that Peter had died.
But it seemed as though another man called Peter Kay had died in 2013, leading to the confusion.
