CHER was pronounced dead online this week, sparking a stream of tributes from shocked fans.
But it’s turned out to be a cruel hoax, as a Facebook page named “RIP Cher” was set up fooling fans into believing she’d died - when actually, she’s very much alive and well.
The fake Facebook page attracted nearly one million likes, with a description reading: “At about 11 a.m. ET on Saturday (December 19, 2015), our beloved actress Cher passed away.
“Cher was born on May 20, 1946 in El Centro. She will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”
As fans quickly shared their tributes on the page, the hoax quickly spread to Twitter with more users falling for it.
However, while many appeared to believe every word, others immediately caught on and shared that if it were true, it would surely have been reported in American media.On Sunday the actress’ reps officially confirmed that Cher is alive and well.
The said in a statement: “She joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. She’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.”
It’s not the first time the singer has fallen victim to such a hoax.
Back in January 2012, “RIP Cher” trended on Twitter - started when a Twitter user created a fake tweet, appearing to have been a retweet from a CNN account reporting the “death”.
Cher Is the New Face of Marc Jacobs for AW 2015Cher is alive and well
The fake message read: “RT @CNN: American recording artist Cher dies at 65 years old. Found dead in Malibu home.”
Of course it was later confirmed to be a hoax all along.
A year later confusion spread online following Margaret Thatcher’s death, when the hashtag #nowthatchersdead began trending - with many users mis-reading it and believing Cher had actually passed away.
