Reports have emerged that veteran actor, Sylvester Stallone is not dead, despite widespread rumours that swept the internet that he died earlier today of prostate cancer-related complications.
The Sun UK reported that the fake news was recirculated after it first broke 18 months ago.
In September 2016, Stallone reportedly died in his home in Los Angeles.
However, this was shown to be false after it was established that the source of the story was a website known for creating and sharing celebrity death hoaxes.
The latest rumour was said to have been fuelled after Stallone himself shared a fan poster for Creed II – the latest instalment in his Rocky film series.
Some creative fans then came up with a tweak.
See photo:
His brother Frank Stallone said,
“Rumors that my brother is dead are false. What kind of sick demented cruel mind thinks of things like this to post? People like this are mentally deranged and don’t deserve a place in society,” he wrote on Twitter, adding, “I’m very protective of my older brother and I don’t find any humour in this fake post today on my brother’s demise. It upset my 96 yr old mother so I’m doubly upset. I just can’t understand what makes these sick minded people tick?”
This marks at least the second time that false rumours of Stallone’s death circulated online. The first time, in September 2016, a fake CNN report of his supposed “death” appeared on Twitter, as NME reported at the time.
That shouldn’t be too surprising. The actor is far from the first person to be a victim of a celebrity death hoax. They’ve been around for ages. In 1966, a small swath of rock fans claimed Paul McCartney died and was replaced by a look-alike.