Jackie Chan Death Hoax 2013: 'Dead' Reports Dispelled by Facebook Post (VIDEO)
Jackie Chan was reported as dead earlier this week, sending thousands of his devout fans into shock. However, the martial arts movie hero has dispelled the death rumors as a hoax, and to prove it he posted a photo of himself with a newspaper.
The Rush Hour star took to Facebook to prove that he was alive, posting, "…Everybody called me to see if I was alive."
He added, "If I died, I would probably tell the world! I took a photo with today's date, just in case you don't believe me! However, thank you all for your concern."
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The post received more than 236,000 likes from relieved fans.
"I idolized you more than Bruce Lee. So better be safe at all times. Thanks for entertaining all of us. God bless," one Facebook user wrote in response to Chan's post.
"I thought it was a death hoax, but still relieved that you're alive and well," posted another user.
This isn't the first Jackie Chan death hoax to target the star. A few years back in 2011, a Facebook page called "Jackie Chan R.I.P 08/17/2011" went viral as fans memorialized the action star after reports that he died from a heart attack.
Of course Jackie Chan is not the only celebrity to have been targeted by death hoaxes on the Internet. Popular actor from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Alfonso Ribeiro, was forced to laugh off reports that he had died last year.
The actor, famed for playing Carlton Banks in the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air," joked ironically, asking fans through social media network Twitter what people would be saying at his funeral.
Ribeiro tweeted, "I guess FB has a page saying I died. I wonder what people are gonna say at my funeral???"
However, the rumor was not all fun and games for the comedic actor, as he also revealed that he had been inundated with calls from friends throughout the weekend wanting to check up on him and whether the rumors about him were true.
The actor tweeted, "It's crazy how many people are calling me about this rumor."
The death hoax was just the latest in a long string of fake celebrity death reports to emerge over recent years. "Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson was also killed in a fake death report last year. Eddie Murphy died for what is believed to be the 5th time, according to fake reports. Reese Witherspoon was rather ironically killed by being stabbed with a spoon in one of the more absurd celebrity death hoaxes.
