11 Celebrities Who Had To Shut Down Death Hoaxes

Find out which celebs had to let everyone know that they were still alive and well…

1. Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne was recently the victim of a death hoax, which he addressed on an episode of his podcast, The Osbournes. Ozzy explained that he stumbled upon a YouTube in memoriam video and was surprised to discovered he had been featured.

"I'm not dead. I'm not going any-f--king-where. And I'm gonna go up and do some more gigs before I'm finished anyway. The thing on YouTube, it's got 'Celebrities Who Have Died Today,' and there’s a picture of me," Ozzy said, then referencing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, adding, "I go, 'I'm not dead. I'm not really dead … Just a little flesh wound.'"

2. Lil Tay

Lil Tay rose to fame as a pint-sized rapper but after gaining a massive following on social media, she seemingly disappeared. Then, years later, rumors surfaced that the little girl had passed away. Shortly after, Lil Tay resurfaced to tell fans it was untrue.

"I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I'm completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say. It's been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess," she said in a statement. "My Instagram account was compromised by a 3rd party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumors regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong."

In the weeks that followed, Lil Tay released a new single, leading many to believe the death hoax was simply a promotional stunt.

3. Britney Spears

Britney Spears has been the subject of death hoaxes numerous times throughout her long standing career. On one particularly convincing occasion, a hacker posted on Sony Music's social media page that Britney had passed away. Her manager Adam Leber stepped in to quickly shut down the rumors and Sony later issued an apology.

"I assume their account has been hacked. I haven't spoken to anyone ... as of yet but I am certain their account was hacked. Britney is fine and well. There have been a few Internet clowns over the years who have made similar claims about her death, but never from the official Sony Music Twitter account," he said in a statement.

4. Mark McGrath

In 2020, rumors spread that Mark McGrath had died after a press release was emailed to numerous media outlets. The message claimed that Mark had been shot by a masked gunman on the Hollywood set of the Adult Swim show Hot Package. While the email was quickly ruled a hoax, many fans began to speculate that it was a marketing stunt for the show.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mark wrote that he "knew nothing about it" and "found out the same time" as the public. Meanwhile, Adult Swim denied involvement in sending the email. Later that day, the PR company that sent out the original release took responsibility for the message.

"Please be advised that Mark McGrath and his team have had no involvement in or knowledge of the media alerts sent earlier this morning. Mr. McGrath is a guest on the show, and his death is merely a plot line in the premiere episode. PRISMATICS take full responsibility for any confusion," the company said in a statement.

5. Chloë Grace Moretz

Back in 2013, reports surfaced that Chloë Grace Moretz had passed away following a snowboarding accident while she was vacationing in Switzerland. She quickly took to social media to share that it was not true -- and it had been a very painful experience for her family to read the false rumors.

"I've had my loved ones calling crying to check and see if I'm alive. Don't make this up. It's not real. I am fully alive and here. You're sick," she posted on social media. "I don't know who made this up but you're disgusting. I am not dead. I did not die from snowboarding. It isn't even snowing here in Switzerland."

6. Zach Braff

Zach Braff was the subject of rumors that he had died in 2014 when someone photoshopped a news article claiming that he had passed away. While it was supposed to be a joke, it got a little out of hand and Zach had to tell everyone that he was still alive and well.

"What happened was someone made a very believable CNN page with my death announcement. It was so believable. As I understand it, a fan was trying to play a prank on his friend," Zach shared on Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

He continued, "Everyone called me, like, 'Are you dead?' I then had to go and make an announcement, like a video, saying 'Hey, I'm still alive.' I put it on Facebook and the saddest part of the story is, my video didn't even get that many likes!"

7. Jeff Goldblum

In 2009, a spoof website claimed that Jeff Goldblum had fallen off a cliff while filming a movie in New Zealand. The rumor quickly exploded and many other media outlets began to cover his death. While it was eventually ruled a hoax, Jeff says his family and friends were affected by the lie.

"Someone had put online that I had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand. Before we got the word out and I could call everybody, yes, my mom. She called and was like, 'Jeffrey, are you alright? Are you alright?'" Jeff shared on Watch What Happens Live. "And then a friend of mine very tearfully and hysterically left a message."

8. Macaulay Culkin

Fans believed Macaulay Culkin was dead back in 2014 when rumors began circulating after a post was made on a fake website. It turns out that everything was fine and Macaulay was actually on tour with his band, The Pizza Underground. He took to social media to clear things up, and even jokingly posted a photo pretending to be dead.

"He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax," his representative said in a statement. "He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet."

9. Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire had to tell fans she was alive and well after a rumor spread that she had passed away while filming a movie in Austria. It turns out Reba wasn't even in Austria at the time!

"There is a rumor going around that I died after falling off a mountain in Austria yesterday while shooting a movie," Reba wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "While I would love to be shooting a movie in Austria, I definitely did not fall off a mountain! Nor am I dead! I am alive and kicking!!! … Oh well. Have a great day."

10. George R.R. Martin

While famed Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin prefers to remain out of the spotlight but in 2016, he had to speak out to let fans know he was still alive. The death rumors began after the passing of Beatles producer, Sir George Martin, and fans got confused because of their similar names.

"While it is strangely moving to realize that so many people around the world care so deeply about my life and death, I have to go with Mark Twain and insist that the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated," he wrote on his LiveJournal account. "I expect to hang around for quite a while yet, thank you very much. But thank you all for caring."

11. Michael J. Fox

In 2018, Michael J. Fox fans grew concerned that the actor had actually passed away. After a website claiming to be Yahoo! News posted a fake article that claimed Michael had been in the hospital with Parkinson's Disease-related complications and later died of pneumonia, the story went viral. The site even claimed that Michael's doctors had confirmed his death. It was later revealed that the whole thing was a hoax and Michael was still alive and well.