For some reason, there are people out there who will dedicate their time to creating fictitious stories about celebrities. But the darkest of these rumors are the ones that involve the death of beloved icons. Inevitably, people will share the story because they are big fans but then fail to check whether it's a credible source or not. With that kind of momentum behind it, these stories can end up being spread across news sites and social media, all from a false story.
This is what happened to Sylvester Stallone earlier this week, but it wasn't even the first time it has happened to him. The 71-year-old actor was reported to be dead in a viral Facebook post in September 2016. It was said that he had been found dead in his LA home, but these claims were quickly debunked as the hoax was linked back to a site known for fake stories like this.
The post that was circulating the internet this week was a fake obituary for Stallone, which managed to amass 1.2 million shares on Facebook. Along with behind-the-scenes images of Stallone on the set of Creed, in which the character underwent chemotherapy, the post read:
"SO LONG CHAMP
"Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone died early this morning after his battle with prostate cancer, the actor kept his illness a secret, but in the end he couldn't beat it."
Many believed he was really gone and shared their pain on social media, before those in the know set them straight.
Stallone himself has now come forward to prove to the world how wrong these posts were. First of all, he posted a screenshot of the fake Facebook post along with the caption: "Please ignore this stupidity... Alive and well and happy and healthy... Still punching!"
Then, in a video posted to the site, he mocked the false news again. In the video he films his daughters shouting and running around the garden in the rain after he has locked them out of the house. He teases them, asking "What's wrong? Is it cold?", watches them run off to find shelter elsewhere and turning to the camera to say "That'll teach them".
The caption read: "Locking my daughters outside during a slight hail storm... It's so great to be back from the dead!!!"
The first who was on the scene to dismiss the rumors of Stallone's death was his brother, Frank. The musician took to Twitter to write: "Rumors that my brother is dead are false. What kind of sick demented cruel mind thinks of things like this to post? People like this are mentally deranged and don't deserve a place in society".
He didn't stop there either, and went on a rant about how upsetting he finds it that people out there would actually make a rumor such as this.
It's worth keeping in mind that while it can be sad for fans to think that someone they respect or idolize has passed, it would definitely be upsetting to read if you actually know him.