INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Anthony Hopkins Dead: Actor Becomes Latest Celebrity Death Hoax

By Alexandria Ingham
Published on: 04:21 PST, May 9, 2016

Anthony Hopkins has become the latest victim of celebrity death hoaxes. People have shared reports on social media, but it goes to show once again that not everything people read on the internet can be believed. A quick search would make it clear that the actor is very much still alive.

Media Mass reported that Hopkins had died on Saturday, May 7, 2016. The cause of death was given as heart failure, and fans were quick to share their condolences for the actor. An update by the site made it clear that this was just another hoax, and the actor was very much still alive and well. It didn’t take long for his rep to tell the media that the stories were made up.

While some fans took to social media to share their condolences, may have now learned that death hoaxes happen far too often. It is unknown why fake news sites spread these reports and what they hope to gain. Initially, there may not seem to be any negative effects, but there are people devastated by the news.

In some cases, family members may hear about the news through the social media shares and the hoaxes. They do not have the chance to speak to the individual and are heartbroken over the loss. It is a major shock to loved ones, and numerous celebrities have spoken out against them in recent years.

Fans are angry that these death hoaxes happen. While they have no immediate connection to the stars, they still have a love for their movies, TV shows, and music. Many are still devastated when announcements are real, and this is a hurtful play of their emotions likely just for the sake of some money.

Hopkins is just the latest celebrity to become victim of these hateful acts. Gabourey Sidibe was one of the victims in April 2016, which the Inquisitr previously reported. Fans took to Twitter to find out if it was true, where she was able to respond personally that she had not died of the reported asthma attack.

Some of the causes of deaths are extreme. Earlier this year, Robert Redford had apparently died in a gold buggy accident. Mark McGrath had been killed by gunmen in one celebrity hoax, and others have been killed in water skiing incidents and plane crashes. In some cases, the celebrities are actually away and even parents believe that the accidents have really occurred.

Paul McCartney is one celebrity who has been the victim of numerous celebrity death hoaxes. Back in 1966, there was a claim that he had been died and a lookalike had taken over his place in the Beatles. A later “Paul is dead” rumor led to the title of his live album “Paul Is Live,” as a way to laugh off the latest hoax. A fake tweet in 2012 led to another rumor that he had died.

Jackie Chan is another celebrity who has been killed off for hoaxes. He was a victim twice in the same year, and then two years later, prompting him to take a photo of himself with the latest newspaper just in case anybody doubted it was him tweeting.

Some of the death hoaxes have been spread purely due to mistakes in reading hashtags. In 2013, when former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher died, the hashtag NowThatchersDead started trending. People read it as “NowThatChersDead” accidentally and believed that it was the singer. Comedian Ricky Gervais quickly noted the confusion and explained it to his followers.

Anthony Hopkins’ celebrity death hoax has not been a simple mistake but a hurtful claim for sites presumably just to make money.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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