After an erroneous edit was made on the Wikipedia page about Simon Cowell, the hashtag "#RIPSimonCowell" trended on Twitter.
Based on the Wikipedia entry, that has now been corrected, Cowell died on June 25. However, these claims have been disputed since Cowell is a very prominent person and celebrity and if he was indeed dead, it would have been reported by huge media outlets.
Meanwhile, Heavy reported that as of the moment, there are still no public announcements from Cowell's management on the issue. In addition, the 60-year-old producer has also been inactive on his social media accounts since the 16th of June. But there is still no proof that he has passed away, thus, the trend was brushed off as only fueled by fake news.
Cowell's Health Issues
While the news about his death is fake, it has been previously reported that Cowell has suffered health issues in the past. According to a report from The Sun in 2017, after Cowell fell from the stairs in his home, he has sustained several injuries which are far from life-threatening and he also fainted after which. Cowell also reportedly lost 60lbs after the fall.
In a statement during that period, Cowell said that the reason he fainted was that he experience hypotension of a drop in his blood pressure. He also said that the first month after the fall was the most dramatic since he saw himself lose a huge amount of weight.
After his accident on the stairs, the actor also began eating healthy by choosing to eat more vegetables and avoiding food that may affect his blood pressure including red meat.
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Death Hoaxes are common among celebrities.
Aside from Cowell, many celebrities have also been victimized by death hoaxes. In the age of internet and social media, the news is easily accessed by many, but this also means that false information can easily spread. Thus, experts have already warned people of double-checking information before sharing in order to end the spread of fake news and kill its source.
In January, The Wrap published an article that included names of celebrities and prominent people who have been reported dead. The list included names like Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake, Nick Jonas, Taylor Swift, and even former US President Barack Obama.
Meanwhile, back in 2014, a list of hoax sites which were usually the source of these fake death news was published by The Week. The list included Huzlers, Daily Currant, The National Report, Free Wood Post, and Empire News. It was also noted that some stories published in satire sites have been shared by people thinking these are legitimate news stories.
In addition, back in 2012, Craig Silverman, Buzzfeed's fake news specialist said in an interview with DigiDay that fake news relies on the people sharing it. This is also the reason why celebrities are usually that target of these hoaxes since they have huge followings and people are quick to share information about them.
Related article: Fact Check: Is Angelina Jolie Starving to Death? Doctor Allegedly Told Her to "Eat or Die"
