Kobe Bryant is dead. At least that's what the internet is saying. However, the Lakers basketball player isn't dead. He's just the victim of an ongoing internet death hoax. Kobe Bryant is just fine.
A report appeared this week saying that Bryant died in a car crash. Global Associated News said that Bryant died in a single vehicle crash on Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell on October 28. The report says that Bryant lost control of the vehicle and rolled the car, killing him instantly. It then says that memorial service plans will be announced and that he will have a closed casket due to head trauma.
The report is false. Bryant didn't die in a car crash. Since there are so many details to the accident, its easy to believe that its real, but Global Associated News creates fake news reports.
A message at the bottom of the site reads: "FAKE... THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes!"
Global Associated News allows people to enter a celebrity name into a generator, which then creates a fake news story about their death. Other celebrities have died in the same exact car crash before.This car crash death story has been going around for several week, but people are continuing to believe it.
The rumor hit twitter and now fans are mourning and questioning the death of the basketball star.
Some examples of tweets include:
"But they sayin kobe bryant died in a car crash ..."
"Kobe Bryant died."
"Kobe Bryant died in a car crash today... rip kobe"
"R.I.P Kobe Bryant. You will be missed."
Bryant hasn't died, but he did suffer from an ankle injury. He took to photo to discuss the pain "Had a hard time sleeping last night. Ankle still throbbing. Had to get up every few hours to ice it."
He also recently commented on Grinnell College guard Jack Taylor's 138 point NCAA record.
"Really? Wow. That's impressive. That's crazy," Bryant said, according to the LA Times. "I don't care what level you're at. Scoring 138 points is pretty insane."
Bryant isn't the only celebrity to become the victim of a death hoax recently. Other celebrities who were killed off by the internet include TV host Jerry Springer, musician Skrillex, Rapper Lil Wayne, Actor Vince Vaughn, Tom Kenny, the voice behind SpongeBob Squarepants, country singer Taylor Swift, legendary actor Morgan Freeman, Comedian Bill Cosby, Alfonso Ribeiro aka Carlton from the Fresh Prince, and Bill Nye the Science Guy have all been victims of death hoaxes this year. All of these celebrities are just fine.
