5 celebrities who were killed by the internet

Umer Sharif was not the first and is clearly, not the last

KARACHI: Forget Ed Gein, HH Holmes and the infamous Zodiac Killer…. the internet is the most notorious killer of them all! And it not only kills people once, but multiple times, only to resurrect them and repeat the process all over again.

Just last Saturday, the news of the (fake) death of Pakistani comedian Umer Sharif began circulating over social media and when fans began mourning and sharing thousands of messages on his passing, Sharif’s son Jawad Umer had to post that his father was still alive and well.

A few days earlier, a photo Sharif in a hospital bed was doing the rounds and somehow, that led to the fake news of his death. We are not sure who started the rumour but it caught on like wildfire.

However, this was not the first time a celebrity death hoax has gone viral. A large number of celebrities have suffered the same fate and had to later clarify – and in the case of Justin Beiber – justify their existence. The Express Tribune lists five celebrities who were once declared done and dusted by the internet gods. Have a look!

The Undertaker

All signs point to veteran wrestler’s retirement after WrestleMania 33. PHOTO: WRESTLING.ORG.IN

This is so ironic and yet so fitting. The news of the Dead Man’s death has gone viral so many times on the internet, we are not even sure why anyone would believe in it anymore.

Every now and then, a picture of ‘Taker would go viral, especially in South Asia, and people would claim the legendary wrestler is dead. It was also reported in 2014 that he was found dead in his home in Texas. But in a miracle befitting to his character, he would rise from the ashes time and time again to prove everyone wrong. Death has got nothing on The Phenom!

Rowan Atkinson, a.k.a Mr Bean

PHOTO:FILE

Just like Taker, Rowan Atkinson who played Mr Bean has been announced dead so many times over the years that his death has become the impending Mayan apocalypse (only for Atkinson, we are glad it didn’t happen).

It was reported last July that the British actor had committed suicide after battling severe depression. His latest death hoax came in March this year, when he was reported to have died in a car crash. Pretty sure this has stopped being funny. No?

Britney Spears

PHOTO:FILE

The American starlet is one of the internet’s favourite targets. Britney’s latest death hoax, according to BBC, started in December last year when Sony Music tweeted she had died in an accident.

The singer’s manager later confirmed that she was alive and Sony apologised to the pop singer. Apparently, it’s Twitter account had been compromised, as was Bob Dylan’s official page (he had also tweeted sympathies for a dead Britney).

Amitabh Bachchan

PHOTO:FILE

Is anyone safe out there? The World Wide Web didn’t even leave Bollywood’s Big B alone as rumours of his death spread earlier this year on social media.

Old pictures of Amitabh’s hospital visits were used to spread the news and make it look more authentic. It’s safe to say such distasteful behaviour isn’t doing anyone any favours.

Terry Gilliam

PHOTO: BTL

What’s surprising about this one is that esteemed publication Variety was the one to declare the British film-maker dead. In 2015, they mistakenly published an article on it, only to retract it a few hours later and apologise.

According to The Guardian, the Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas director took it in good humour and turned the tables on Variety when he, in a Facebook post, wrote, “I APOLOGIZE FOR BEING DEAD, especially to those who have already bought tickets to the upcoming talks, but Variety has announced my demise. Don’t believe their retraction and apology!”

Gilliam might be the first man in history to apologise for being dead and actually confirming his own death. Well done, Gilliam!

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