Etta James is alive and well, despite an internet rumor that surfaced today on a site that was claiming to be part of the TMZ celebrity news network.
TMZNews reported that the “At Last” singer had died at the age of 73, having passed away from a long fight with leukemia and dementia.
It should be noted that the female in the photo on the site was not in fact Etta James. Speaking for his mom Donto James told the Los Angeles Times :
“She’s fine. I just saw her last night, and she was fine.”
Various fans of the singer took to Twitter offering their condolences over her death, even though she was not in fact dead, tweets that fueled the rumor of her demise.
According to the real TMZ:
“Our legal department is all over it.”
That’s a lesson for all internet users, check your sources before you Tweet rumors, they tend to spread like wildfire.