Amid the fake rumor that actor James Earl Jones passed away this week, another hoax is making its way throughout the internet, indicating that Arnold Schwarzenegger passed away on August 28. However, Schwarzenegger fans, no need to worry. The Terminator star is alive and well.
International Business Times (IBT) reports that on August 28, a fake website posing as MSNBC directed readers to a website with a similar name , MSMBC.co, in an attempt to trick readers into thinking that the bogus website was actually the MSNBC.com official website. MSNBC is not affiliated in any way with MSMBC.co.
Once users click on MSMBC.co, they are greeted with a message indicating that Schwarzenegger died.
“Arnold Schwarzenegger was found dead at his Las Angeles [sic], California home. Schwarzenegger was 68 years old. Police responded to the L.A. home after receiving a 911 emergency call for a unresponsive male. Upon entering the residence, police found Schwarzenegger’s deceased body in his bed. ‘We found Mr. Schwarzenegger in his bedroom deceased around 9:30 pm on Wednesday,’ said Las Angeles Police Chief James J. Freda [sic] in a brief statement to Local 4 CBS News [sic]. We found no reason to believe foul play was a factor in his death but intent [sic] to perform a full investigation.’”
The above statement was apparently created by an anonymous writer. According to Snopes , anyone can write a false article by simply signing up and joining the phony website. The site has no disclaimer, yet it entices people to write stories that can “be seen millions of people.”
Schwarzenegger’s friend, bodybuilder Calum von Moger, attempted to squash the distasteful hoax by posting a message on his Facebook page.
Not only is Schwarzenegger alive and well, but he recently had lunch with Robert Earl, the producer of the Expendables movies. The actor met with Earl in Beverly Hills, California, at the Italian restaurant, E. Baldi. The duo smiled as they left the restaurant, and Schwarzenegger looked healthy , happy, and content, sporting khaki pants and a blue Polo shirt. Schwarzenegger, 68, starred in the first three Expendables movies. There are rumors of a 4th Expendables movie, but so far, nothing has been confirmed.
Arnold Schwarzenegger also toured Eastern China last week. The superstar actor and former bodybuilder was abroad to help market the new film, Terminator Genisys , which opened in theaters last week on August 23.
[Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images]