Top 10 Celebrity Deaths That Were Completely False

Death is a universal reality. Regardless of how rich, influential, or adored you may be, no one can escape it. When a celebrity passes away, the news spreads rapidly—often even before the actual event. Sometimes media outlets get ahead of themselves, other times rumors are propagated for clicks, or people simply misremember an event. Whatever the reason, here are the most famous instances where celebrities were 'gone' before their time, even though they were very much alive.

10. Tom Kenny

Tom Kenny might not be a household name or a familiar face to some, but his voice is instantly recognizable. Known primarily as the voice behind Spongebob Squarepants, he's also contributed to other popular Cartoon Network shows, including The Batman (The Penguin), Adventure Time (Ice King), and PowerPuff Girls (the Narrator).

Perhaps it was the profound impact he had on countless millennials that made the rumor of his death in 2012 so shocking. This hoax spread widely as clickbait, but the truth is that Kenny is alive and well, continuing his voice work for various shows like Rick and Morty, where he voices the character Squanchy.

9. Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy has been falsely reported dead not once, but twice—first in a snowboarding accident in 2013, and again in a car crash in 2017. Some sources even claim Murphy has been mistakenly declared dead as many as eight times.

It’s believed that some of these rumors were due to confusion with his brother, Charlie, who passed away from leukaemia in April 2017. The 2013 rumors may have also been fueled by fans hoping that Paul Walker’s tragic accident, which happened around the same time, was a hoax. One thing’s certain—whenever Eddie Murphy does pass, there will be no shortage of disbelief surrounding it.

8. Pope John Paul II

The record-holder for the most times being wrongly declared dead is Pope John Paul II, who was prematurely reported as deceased not once or twice, but three times before his actual passing in 2005. The most recent instance occurred just two days before his death, when FOX mistakenly reported that the ailing Pope had already passed away.

The first incident was due to poor phrasing and a terrible sense of timing. After the failed assassination attempt in 1981, CNN repeatedly referred to the Pope in the past tense, causing some to believe that the attempt had succeeded. You’d think CNN would’ve learned from this mistake, but in 2002, several of their obituaries, including one for the Pope, were mistakenly published on their website, claiming he had died in 2001. The Queen might have two birthdays, but only the Pope could die four times. Speaking of which…

7. Queen Elizabeth II

To give credit where it’s due, the Queen had been ill around Christmas in 2016, a time when many celebrities were tragically passing away, which may have led some to believe that the end was near for the Queen as well. Thankfully, the Queen is still in good health, having celebrated her 93rd birthday and her 72nd wedding anniversary this year. Sadly, reports that George Michael and Carrie Fisher passed away earlier that same week turned out to be true.

6. Bill Bailey

At times, a fake death simply arises from a case of mistaken identity. In 2018, British comedian Bill Bailey appeared on the Graham Norton show and recounted how he woke up one morning to discover that the BBC had announced his death overnight, even going so far as to report that “tributes were pouring in” to honor his life and career.

It turns out that the Bill Bailey who passed away the night before was a DJ from Kentucky, but someone at the BBC clearly didn’t bother to do much research.

5. Marilyn Manson

This is another case of mistaken identity, though one that Manson brought upon himself. In 2017, Charles Manson, the infamous cult leader and mass murderer, passed away in prison. Since Manson had been incarcerated since 1971, it’s likely that his name wasn’t as widely recognized as Brian Warner’s (Manson’s real name). His fans, already mourning the death of Charles Manson, didn’t realize the confusion—and that Warner was still very much alive.

4. Mark Twain

Misreporting celebrity deaths has been happening long before the rise of the internet. Mark Twain is a prime example—he was falsely reported to be on his deathbed nearly thirteen years before his actual death. The confusion stemmed from Twain’s cousin being seriously ill, and the newspapers quickly spun the story into a scoop claiming that Twain himself was dying.

Mark Twain once sent a telegram to a friend, assuring them that he was fine, ending with one of his most famous (and often misquoted) remarks: “The report of my illness grew out of his illness. The report of my death was an exaggeration.” The tale even has a positive conclusion, as Twain mentioned his cousin made a full recovery.

3. Nelson Mandela

One of the strangest and most famous death rumors involved Nelson Mandela. When the news spread that he had passed away in 2013, many were left puzzled, convinced he had already died in prison years before. Some even claimed to have seen his funeral on TV.

This sparked the phenomenon known as the Mandela Effect, a reflection of the fragility of human memory, where people recall events that never occurred—or at least, not the way they remember them. It’s likely they are confusing Mandela’s death with the deaths of other notable figures like Martin Luther King Jr. or Malcolm X, or perhaps mixing up his death with his 1990 release. However, the most logical explanation might be that we all perished in 2012 and shifted to a parallel world where the Monopoly mascot doesn’t wear a monocle.

2. Marcus Garvey

While Barbara Bush may have had the unusual experience of reading her own obituary, at least it wasn’t what caused her death. Back in 1940, prominent political activist Marcus Garvey suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed, prompting some newspapers to mistakenly report his passing.

Garvey’s obituary was not as kind as Barbara Bush's. It claimed he had died “alone and unpopular,” which, tragically, led to another stroke that ultimately took his life.

1. Barbara Bush

When someone is reported to be dying, sometimes they really are. However, there’s also the issue of jumping the gun. When the Bush family announced that former first lady Barbara Bush was near death, CNN (naturally) prepared an obituary with the title “DO NOT PUBLISH” boldly stamped across it. Despite the warning, the obituary was published, and Barbara Bush was prematurely declared dead, a full two days before she passed. Thankfully, the obituary celebrated her as a “witty, gregarious matriarch… who helped propel two [relatives] to the White House.” Not all obituaries are as warmly remembered.