Paris Hilton. June 2007.

In June 2007 several articles posted online separately claimed that celebrity heiress Paris Hilton had died while in jail. One article, disguised to look like a CNN page, claimed she had been stabbed. Another article, disguised to look like a news release from Australia’s ABC network, alleged she had committed suicide. Paris Hilton was in jail at the time, but she was definitely still alive. See Paris Hilton Death Hoax.

March, 2006: Will Ferrell

An obituary uploaded to the wire service iNewswire in March 2006 claimed that the comedian had died in a paragliding accident “after a freak wind gush basically blew Ferrell and his companion towards a wooded area where they lost control before crashing into dense foilage.”

January, 2005: John Goodman.

An obituary that circulated by email claimed that the actor John Goodman had collapsed from a heart attack.

Eminem

Rap star Eminem. In December 2000 news reports claimed that he was the victim of a car crash.

Susanne Shaw

Suzanne Shaw of the band Hear’Say. In May 2001 the BBC reported she had been found dead in her home.

Lou Reed

Rock legend Lou Reed. In May 2001 numerous radio stations reported he had been found dead in his apartment. Cause of death: Drug overdose.

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears

Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. In June 2001 a Los Angeles radio station reported that the couple had died together in a car crash (just like Eminem). It was a really bad year death-wise for Britney Spears because in October her death was reported again. Once more it was an automobile accident that did her in. In this second case a twenty-two-year-old hacker named Tim Fries managed to make it appear as if the report of her death was on CNN’s website, thus adding far more credibility to the story.

Johnny Knoxville

Jackass star Johnny Knoxville. A notice on the internet claimed he had died “while being filmed parachuting from a biplane whilst eating a catering sized tub of Heinz baked beans, when his parachute failed to open.”