Information of actor Will Smith’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the February 2014 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and now the newest in a string of fake celebrity death reports.
Thankfully, the actor best known for his roles in The Pursuit of Happyness, Men in Black or The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is alive and well.
Hundreds of fans directly started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sorrow that the talented 45-year-old actor and rapper was dead. And as normal, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.
Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the statement, perhaps learning their lesson from the large amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months.
Some pointed out that the information had not been carried on any main American system, indicating that it was a fake information, as the death of an actor of Will Smith’s stature would be major news across networks.
A fresh poll conducted for the Celebrity Post shows that a large majority (80%) of respondents think those Will Smith death rumors are not funny any longer.
On Thursday (February 13) the actor’s reps officially confirmed that Will Smith is not dead. “He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” they said.
A few fans have expressed anger at the fake information saying it was reckless, distressing and hurtful to fans of the much loved actor. Others say this shows his extreme popularity across the world.