The celebrity death hoax is something that is going to stay around as long as the Internet exists and that will likely be forever. It happens to the likes of Willie Nelson and even celebrities on a smaller scale such as Jake from State Farm . The very latest to fall victim to this hoax is that of Steve Burns, whom you may not immediately recognize by name. You’d know him better as Steve from Blue’s Clues , and he did not die in a car accident as reported.
Yes, the original guy from the kids’ show that had a blue dog named Blue roaming around and looking for clues to find lost items. Burns was on the show for seven years and starred in over 100 episodes before leaving in 2002 to pursue a music career.
Over the weekend, MSMBC News reported that 42-year-old Steve Burns tragically died in a one-car crash in Pennsylvania. A “local coroner” even confirmed his death on Friday and it was apparently due to “severe head trauma and internal injuries.”
There was even a “news” video reporting his death with a big square stating the information was “CONFIRMED.”
It may seem needless to say that MSMBC isn’t real and is a website that brings forth fake news stories for hits and shock. It’s an obvious play on MSNBC, but it has no validity to it whatsoever and neither does this story of Steve Burns’ death in a car accident.
Most people see the title of the story, such as this one, but don’t read the actual article. These “readers” share the article and it ends up getting passed around social media until thousands or even millions begin to believe the “news” is true.
Just like when everyone was sad Rue McClanahan of the Golden Girls died earlier this summer. Actually, she died in 2010, but everyone was passing around an article without reading the date.
Burns himself took to Twitter to let the world know that he is alive and well and the story going around is one that had something ridiculously unrealistic in it.
I think the worst part about the latest rumor of my demise is that in it I was driving a Dodge Charger. Still arguably #alive , folks. Sorry.
— Steve Burns (@SteveBurnsAlive) November 1, 2015
A lot of people think that Steve Burns really did die and someone on social media stirs it up about once a year. They do that because after Blue’s Clues , he kind of disappeared off the face of the earth, but all he really did was stop showing up in a cartoon house.
Uproxx was even amazed in 2014 when they came across Burns’ Twitter account and noticed his love/hate relationship with Walmart. His Tweets are often quite humorous due to his random thoughts and his “mood” posts.
Current mood. pic.twitter.com/ePuL53ioCP
— Steve Burns (@SteveBurnsAlive) July 15, 2015
When Steve Burns left Blue’s Clues , he left to pursue music but also said he was going bald and didn’t want it to happen while starring on a TV show. He knew he wouldn’t be doing the show his entire life and he simply “refused to lose [his] hair on a kids TV show, and it was happening fast.”
On the show, viewers were told that Steve had “gone off to college,” and he was replaced by his “brother,” Joe, who was played by Donovan Patton. Burns took it upon himself to help train Patton and get him ready for the role while he went off to do other things.
]Over the past few days, many on social media have posted and sent out tweets reading “RIP Steve Burns” or “ Blue’s Clueswill live on in your memory.” Well, Steve Burns did not die in a car accident and the former kids show host is still alive and well, but merely a victim of the celebrity death hoax.
[Image via Noggin]