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Is Adam Sandler Dead? The Internet Goes Crazy Over False Reports Of Actor’s Suicide

By Nathan Francis
Published on: 17:09 PST, Sep 29, 2015

So is Adam Sandler dead?

If you went onto Twitter or Facebook anytime in the last several hours, you might be led to believe that the actor and comedian had met an untimely end, taking his own life. Reports had circulated that Sandler was found dead in his home close to noon on Monday.

The report even shared details about his death, claiming that the actor had been battling depression for a long time.

But Adam Sandler is not dead, and the reports came from a fake news website apparently designed to fool the internet. It came from a site called Linkbeef, which claimed that Marin County Police found Adam Sandler’s body.

The report appeared to pull from real reports on the death of comedian Robin Williams, or at least it wanted to make fans think that both comedians suffered an identical death.

“Sandler had recently returned to a rehabilitation centre to ‘fine-tune’ his sobriety, the Los Angeles Times reported in July.”

“The local Sheriff’s office said Sandler was found unconscious and not breathing at his home near Tiburon, north of San Francisco.”

“‘At this time, the Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division suspects the death to be a suicide due to asphyxia, but a comprehensive investigation must be completed before a final determination is made,’ police said in a statement.”

The report even contained a fake quote from Adam Sandler’s wife, claiming that she was “heartbroken” and asking for privacy.

Though the strange wording and apparent typos gave the story away to many viewers, others believed that Adam Sandler had died and even took to social media to share their grief.

Adam Sandler is far from the only celebrity to be targeted by a death hoax. These events have become quite common, to the tune of one or two a week now. Some originate from fake news sites and others are the work of fans who create Facebook memorial pages. In just the last few weeks, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant have faced reports of their death.

Not only is Adam Sandler not dead, but he appears to have marked a career high point. After a series of box office duds, Sandler has found success with Hotel Transylvania 2, which had a strong opening weekend.

The movie set a September record with $47.5 million, CNN noted, marking the biggest opening for Sony this year.

Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, said the movie pulled off a rare feat in topping the original by so much in its opening weekend.

“This is an absolutely stunning result from a beloved franchise and it has been a labor of love for all levels of the company starting with Sony Chairman Tom Rothman through to Sony Animation President Kristine Belson to Josh Greenstein’s marketing and distribution team. They really brought this film to the next level. It’s not often that a sequel exceeds the opening of the first title the way this one has.”

The movie also brought some critical acclaim for Adam Sandler himself, with critics saying it proved he can still turn out good and crowd-pleasing comedy.

With the movie seeming to revive his career, the reports that Adam Sandler is dead seem very far off the mark.

[Picture by Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images]

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