George H.W. Bush Death Hoax: German Magazine Publishes Obituary

Berlin, Germany – Respected news outlet Der Spiegel published an obituary for former US president George H.W. Bush Sunday. Problem is, Bush the elder isn’t dead, and is said to be recovering from the illness that hospitalized him on November 23.

Bush was hospitalized in Houston for a bronchitis-related cough in late November, and was moved to intensive care shortly before Christmas of this month, reports Yahoo! News. His condition improved, and he was moved out of the IC into a regular hospital room on Saturday.

“President Bush’s condition has improved, so he has been moved today from the intensive care unit to a regular patient room at the Methodist Hospital to continue his recovery,” the family said in a statement from his spokesman, Jim McGrath.

“George Bush is the most relentlessly upbeat man you’ll ever meet, and his spirits have been good throughout this ordeal.” He added, though he did not disclose any information regarding Bush’s prognosis or how much longer he’ll remain hospitalized.

Der Spiegel published a partial, unfinished obituary on Sunday, announcing the death of the former president. It remained online for a few minutes before being called out by internet users, and was subsequently removed, reports The Washington Post.

The obituary was fairly unflattering, calling George H.W. Bush “a colorless politician” whose public image only saw improvement after the unpopularity of his son, George W. Bush, who was president from 2000 to 2008. The obituary was written by the magazine’s New York correspondent.

Der Spiegel took to Twitter to announce its formal mea culpa, writing: “All newsrooms prepare obituaries for selected figures. The fact that the one for Bush senior went live was a technical mistake. Sorry”