21 Celebrity Death Hoaxes: Brad Pitt, Celine Dion, Jackie Chan and More

A since-deleted hoax website published a fake death report about Arnold Schwarzenegger reportedly being found dead at his Califonia home following an apparent heart attack on August 27, 2015.

It even cited Los Angeles Police Chief James J. Freda who made a false statement that read, "We found Mr. Schwarzenegger in his bedroom deceased around 9:30 pm on Wednesday. We found no reason to believe foul play was a factor in his death but intent to perform a full investigation."

Prior to Betty White's death on December 31, 2021, she was bombarded with death hoaxes, leaving fans furious. According to a 2019 report from news website EmpireNews.net, the actress reportedly died "peacefully" in her Los Angeles home.

The article's title also included a mistyped word as it read: "Actress Betty White, 93, Dyes Peacefully in her Los Angeles Home."

A Twitter post started the buzz in 2015 about Beyoncé's false death. The singer allegedly died in a car accident, then a new fake news emerged the following year claiming she died from blood loss.

Bob Dylan's death hoax spread like wildfire after the Today Show in Australia referred to him as a "late singer."

He also had an earlier false report when BBC Radio 1's Neale James said in the 1990s: "On this day in 1941, Bob Dylan was born, and what a shame he's not around to celebrate his birthday."

Fans were left shocked after false reports about Brad Pitt's death emerged in 2016. A Facebook post shared the death hoax shortly after his divorce from Angelina Jolie, and people who clicked the link were redirected to a different page where they were asked to input their login information.

The page's team found out that the post was not made directly on Facebook and was generated through an app.

"We're aware that recently a small set of apps posted fake news articles on our platform," a spokesperson for the social media site said at that time. "We have taken action against these apps and stories, and we encourage people who see these types of posts to report the content to us."

A CBC reporter shared a tweet in 2015 claiming Carlos Santana was found dead in his car. The singer's official social media pages said the singer was still alive, debunking the claims.

The reporter, named Chris Walker, posted an apology statement afterward.

The Stiff person syndrome-stricken singer Celine Dion was reported dead by a viral video with CNN's logo. It claimed she died in a plane crash after her Courage World Tour in Milwaukee.

A death hoax about Cher unexpectedly began when Twitter users misread the hashtag #nowthatchersdead, which was about UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who died on April 8, 2013.

The public soon realized the blunder and corrected their hashtags.

In June 2014, "Dwayne Johnson Is Dead" trended after a report claimed the wrestler-turned-actor died while performing a stunt scene.

The fake report from Global Associated News said Johnson died after falling more than 60 feet on the Kauri Cliffs, citing "confirmation" by New Zealand Police officials.

George Clooney has been the subject of death hoaxes several times.

One report said he died when he fell off a New Zealand cliff – similar to the death hoax about Johnson. This caused phrases like "george clooney dead" and "george clooney dies" to go viral on Google.

Like Johnson and Clooney, Hilary Duff also fell off the imaginary New Zealand cliff of fake news websites. The actress let this Los Angeles outing dismiss the rumors all at once.

Because of Jackie Chan's death-defying stunts, the famed film star also became a victim of an internet hoax in 2015, which he immediately dismissed through a post on Twitter, now X.

"I was shocked by two news reports when I got off the plane," he said. "First of all, don't worry! I'm still alive. Second, don't believe the scam on Weibo using my name about the Red Pockets."

Famed singer Joni Mitchell is alive and kicking despite the past death hoaxes about her. Variety confirmed that the erroneous report started after People accidentally published a pre-written obituary with "Joni Mitchell Dies at TK AGE" as the title.

Justin Bieber had several death hoaxes through the years, starting with a false report about his alleged suicide in 2009.

The following year, reports that he was shot to death in a nightclub and suffered a fatal drug overdose also surfaced. A "RIP Justin Bieber" trend on Twitter also left everyone confused.

Kirk Douglas lived until he was 103 years old and witnessed how the internet also added him to the list of death hoax victims.

Three years before his actual death, a report claimed that Douglas passed away four days before his 101st birthday in December 2017. It said the actor died of natural causes, but it was later dismissed.

A death hoax ultimately killed Lil Wayne when he was hospitalized in March 2013 following a seizure. The report said the rapper died because of a health issue, but he soon posted an update and started touring again.

The Home Alone actor is not exempted from appearing in death hoaxes.

A fake news site claimed Macaulay Culkin was found dead in his apartment while on tour with his band. The actor debunked the claims by posting a photo of himself with the caption, "playing dead."

He also quipped about the rumors during his appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, saying that he dies all the time.

Internet users were confused when Marilyn Manson's death emerged. It turned out that they mistook the deceased criminal, Charles Manson, for the rocker after the murderer died in November 2017.

Matt Damon slammed the "silly" reports that he died in 2009. The actor addressed the rumors during his appearance at the Toronto Film Festival press conference, condemning the outlet that said he died during a mountain hike in California.

"My publicist's like, 'Did you even read the story?' Misinformation is quicker because you m----f----- are lazy! That's how these things spread like wildfire," he exclaimed.

Paul McCartney is one of the surviving members of The Beatles, but he was killed by a death hoax.

In 1969, a caller, named Russ Gibb, dialed in during his show on Detroit radio station WKNR-FM, informing him that McCartney died. A New York DJ also spread a false rumor about the singer dying in a 1966 car crash and was only replaced by a lookalike.

The "Mull of Kintyre" singer dismissed the reports by saying, "I am alive and well and concerned about the rumors of my death. But if I were dead, I would be the last to know."

Before Whitney Houston's death, "confirmed" death reports claimed the singer died a day after the 9/11 bombing in 2001.

Multiple news outlets and journalists debunked the news, with Arista Records' head of publicity, Laura Swanson, issuing a statement to reveal that Houston was still alive.