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Death hoaxes, although now common due to social media, are not a new phenomenon. A death hoax is a deliberate report of a person’s demise, which is later discovered to be false. While these are done by random people for different reasons, in some cases, the said victim might intentionally spread the claim.
An example of this is the recent rumour of the death of Nigerian hip-hop star Oladipupo Oladimeji, who had the stage name Oladips. It was discovered to be false, and a suspected Public Relations (PR) stunt after Mr Oladimeji said he was alive and would soon provide answers to the rumours. He is not the first Nigerian celebrity to pull such a stunt. Here is a list of others who have done this in the past.
Also, below are seven public figures who were victims of death hoaxes that we verified in 2023.
- Lateef Adedimeji
Lateef Adedemeji is an award-winning actor and seasoned movie producer from Abeokuta, Ogun State. He was nicknamed “the crying machine” because of his brilliant performance in crying scenes or roles.
In May 2023, a Facebook user sharing videos with the tag “Rest In Peace” claimed he is dead. However, after verification, we found it to be false.
- Jean-Claude Damme
Hollywood actor Jean-Claude Damme, a martial artist, actor, filmmaker, and fight choreographer, was rumoured to be dead in June 2023. Mr Damme became famous after his role in the movie Cyborg in 1989.
A Facebook user claimed that the actor passed after a stroke in his home, but this was not true, as we discovered the original image used to depict Mr Damme’s demise was doctored. We also found that the same photo had been doctored a few times with pictures of other celebrities hoaxed to be dead.
- Justin Bieber
Canadian singer Justin Bieber, a best-selling artist whose pop songs sparked a global craze in 2009, was rumoured to be dead in June 2023. According to the claimant, Mr Bieber, who was recently diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, died after a ghastly car accident.
Our findings showed that this is not just false but a recurring hoax. We also discovered that the image used to portray the singer’s accident was from an accident in Florida in March 2022, not June 2023, when the rumour was circulating.
- Enyinnaya Abaribe
Nigerian politician Enyinnaya Abaribe, a lawmaker representing Abia South Senatorial district, is rumoured to have been shot dead by gunmen in his residence in Aug. 2023.
We found one of the images used to depict this incident was taken from a 2021 incident in Anambra where gunmen attacked the motorcade of a House of Representative member representing Nnewi North, Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Constituency, Chris Azubogu.
Two other images were from a 2022 attack on the convoy of Ifeanyi Ubah, a Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial Zone.
- Jamie Foxx
In Aug. 2023, controversial journalist Kemi Olunloyo alleged that Oscar-winning American actor Jamie Foxx was dead. Mr Foxx was earlier in April 2023 hospitalised in Atlanta following what his family described as a “medical complication”.
However, our findings and a video shared by the actor on Instagram discredited Ms Olunloyo’s claim.
- Mike Tyson
Former American boxer Mike Tyson, who competed between 1985 and 2005, was said to be dead in August 2023.
The boxer who was nicknamed “Iron Mike” and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career and later on “The Baddest Man on the Planet” reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.
A Facebook group, Honduras Radio, shared the news of the boxer’s death without stating the cause of his death. However, we discovered it to be false as there were recent videos of the fighter on a podcast.
- Yakubu Gowon
In Oct. 2023, social media was awash with news of the death of Nigeria’s former military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon. Mr Gowon served as Nigeria’s Head of State from 1966 to 1975.
Our findings, however, revealed that the death of the former Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors, Gowon Edoumiekumor, who died on Oct. 7, 2023, was mistaken for that of the former military leader because of the name Gowon.
