Rumors of the actor’s alleged demise gained traction on Saturday after a ‘R.I.P. Will Smith’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the American actor’s passing, causing concern among fans across the world. However the February 2014 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the actor best known for his roles in The Pursuit of Happyness, Men in Black orThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is alive and well.
Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 45-year-old actor and rapper was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.
Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months. Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major American network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of an actor of Will Smith's stature would be major news across networks.
A recent poll conducted for the Celebrity Post shows that a large majority (80%) of respondents think those Will Smith death rumors are not funny anymore.
