Morgan Freeman played God. And like God, the 80-year-old actor isn’t dead. But some folks fell for an “Action News 3” hoax.
The website’s fake story was shared at least 522,000 times (or perhaps that figure is fake) as of Friday.
The site said: “Morgan Freeman passed away in his Charleston, Mississippi, home early this morning, according to his representatives. An investigation is underway, however the coroner stated his death was likely of ‘natural causes.’”
Naturally, fans panicked. Also naturally, hoax-busting site Snopes cleared the air quickly.
“The page was undated (a telltale sign of phony claims and hoaxes), but was published on 5 October 2017 (and is likely to continue spreading as “news” due to its lack of date),” Snopes said.
“The death of Morgan Freeman would have been major entertainment news, and no credible sources have reported his alleged passing. Previously, the same site advanced a death hoax about Bob Barker.”
Some victims of the hoax, and others who smelled a dead rat:
My mom just tried to tell me that Morgan Freeman is dead bc she read it on Facebook and i’m like there’s no way in hell that is true.
— Ashley O'Keefe (@anokeefe) October 11, 2017
Somebody PLEASE say THIS is FAKE NEWS….. PLLLLLLEEEEZZZZZZ!!’😢 https://t.co/dTH3Sx0JYC
— Sylver Logan Sharp (@singersylver) October 9, 2017
Morgan Freeman is not dead. I repeat, Morgan Freeman is not dead.
— Kevyn Knox (@KevynKnox) October 11, 2017
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