Celebrities Who Had Death Hoaxes In 2023

Celebrity death hoaxes are very much a thing, and quite a few celebs have fallen victim to the internet. Generally, once one of these rumors pops up on social media, hundreds of other users start questioning the validity, thus starting a trend. Death hoaxes usually don't end until the celebrity themselves speak out, often with a, "Hey, I'm very much not dead." In 2014, for example, "Seinfeld" star Wayne Knight confirmed that he, in fact, did not die, despite someone's attempt to convince the masses otherwise. "Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed, but... I am alive and well," he tweeted. Other times, these rumors are debunked by credible news outlets who receive confirmation from a rep or spokesperson that said star is still with us.

Over the years, more than a few celebrities have been informed of their own demise on multiple occasions. These include people like Jackie Chan and Willie Nelson, who have been killed off by the internet more times than we can count. And while we wish that we could say that we've moved on from death hoaxes as a society, they appear to be here to stay. Let's take a look at some of the biggest celebrity death hoaxes of 2023.

Tekashi 6ix9ine — whose real name is Daniel Hernandez — has been in the news quite a bit over the years, but in April, he was the victim of a death hoax. According to The U.S. Sun, rumors that the performer died surfaced following news that he was attacked while at an LA Fitness in Palm Beach County. In late March, TMZ reported that the "GOOBA" rapper was jumped by "several guys" while trying to decompress in a sauna. The outlet posted photos of Tekashi beaten and bloodied, and it didn't take long for rumors of his death to start circulating.

It's possible the rumors spread like wildfire because of the lack of a statement from the rapper's team following the incident and the fact that he hadn't been active on social media since February. He did, however, upload an Instagram video weeks after the incident took place. "3 years no music. 3 years no radio. 3 years no industry support. I wake up and decide to make music again and perform in front of 40,000. I would hate my guts to ... I will forever be the number 1 rapper in the world forever grateful," he captioned the post, making no mention of his death hoax or the gym incident.

Interestingly, this isn't the first time Tekashi has been the victim of a death hoax. In 2018, there were unconfirmed rumors that he died following an overdose, but a site called Lead Stories set everyone's minds at ease.

Her heart continues to go on — because she isn't dead. Celine Dion was pronounced dead by someone on the internet in July, according to The U.S. Sun. "Celine Dion dead" was trending on Twitter which had all of us worried, but the "Power of Love" singer is doing okay. Dion has been hit with a variety of health issues in recent years, including stiff person syndrome (SPS), which has caused her to take a step back from her career, but the condition hasn't ended her life.

"We now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms that I've been having. Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to," she wrote in a candid Instagram post in December 2022. Hollywood Life reports that Dion is doing whatever she can to recover as she hopes to return to performing as soon as she is able.