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Death hoax, a false report that someone has died later proven untrue, is a kind of information disorder that spreads for different reasons. Sometimes, it happens due to an error in communication or a deliberate attempt to create a narrative, change existing ones, or trick people.
In rare cases, the person who is said to have died may have faked their death for personal reasons. Regardless of the cause, death hoaxes often cause confusion, shock, and concern among the public.
Below are four public figures who were victims of death hoaxes that we verified in 2024.
- Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie, an American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian, was reported deceased online. A Facebook user named Alang Godwin posted on Sept. 28, 2024, that the actress was pronounced dead by Hollywood.
When we checked, we saw that after the post was made, the BBC reported that Angelina attended the London Film Festival for the UK premiere of her film about opera singer Maria Callas, to be released in UK cinemas on January 10, 2025. False reports of the actress’s death have been recurring, with similar claims circulating in 2013 and 2016. This year, an Indian fact-checking institution also debunked the hoax.
- Ayo Adebanjo
On May 26, 2024, in a now-deleted post, an X user @RodemiF claimed that the co-founder of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Ayo Adebanjo, was dead.
DUBAWA investigated claims of Mr Adebanjo’s death and found them false. A Guardian and Vanguard report confirmed this, with the Vanguard verifying the news through Mr Adebanjo’s Personal Assistant.
- Steve Harvey
Some social media pages shared posts claiming popular TV presenter Steve Harvey had passed on. DUBAWA observed that these posts have been circulating on social media since July 2024.
Our findings revealed that the death hoax about Mr Harvey is not new, having gone viral in 2023 and debunked by a TV presenter. DUBAWA found that some articles spreading the claim contained clickbait links. Checks on Mr Harvey’s social media accounts showed no evidence of his death. His Facebook posts, recent photos, videos, and posts on Instagram and X confirmed that he was alive and well.
- Nasboi
TikTok user @speed_akpi claimed popular skitmaker Nasboi had died. He attributed his alleged death to depression. “Just in: Nasboi just died this morning over depression. OMG (Oh My God) I can’t believe this, Jesus,” the text on a random video of the skitter shared by the TikTok user reads.
When DUBAWA checked the skit maker’s official Instagram handle, it was discovered that Nasboi posted a video (skit) a day after the claim was made (Jan. 15, 2024). We also noticed two days after his alleged death – the entertainer took to X to ask for the opinions of his followers about the sound for his project.
Also, there is no such information on major news outlets or blogs in the country.
