Charlie Sheen Dead Rumors Remain Untrue, Believable

Rumors of Charlie Sheen's demise are topping Internet search engines today. Alleging Sheen is dead isn't hard; it is only a surprise that more hoaxes like this haven't come up in the past year. Virtually no one would be surprised if it actually happened, given his lifestyle and instability this past spring. But despite the best efforts of some Internet pranksters, it is clear that Sheen is still alive -- especially since he wouldn't let Chuck Lorre and CBS off the hook that easily.

Sheen used the Internet himself to deny the rumors with a Twitter post that assured he was "very much alive" after a "long nap." In any case, he surely wants to stay alive long enough to be at his upcoming Comedy Central roast, which will air on the same night as the return of Two and a Half Men.

Although Sheen isn't dead in real life, the rumors are bound to spread whenever there are stories about his TV alter ego getting killed. All signs are that Lorre, the ultimate "troll," will literally kill off Charlie Harper on Two and a Half Men to help explain why Ashton Kutcher is taking his place. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but there is bound to be a lot of speculation before the Sept. 19 premiere.

As for the former Charlie Harper himself, Sheen may actually be more focused on work than on reputation-shattering interviews and wild tweets. He is trying to get a new sitcom off the ground, which is allegedly based on Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler's 2003 comedy Anger Management. But he needs to flesh the idea out, and then find a show runner that can actually live with him better than Lorre could, so there is still a long way to go.

Sources told The Daily that "everyone is afraid" to work with Sheen after the events of this past spring. Not only did those incidents wreck his career as one of the biggest sitcom stars in Hollywood, it also made it much easier for everyone to believe the most damaging rumors about him.

Sheen is tailor made for death rumors, as pranksters can easily use stories like that to infect computers with malware and viruses. According to Mashable, both Facebook and Twitter were used for death hoaxes that spread malware in March during the peak of Sheen's media blitz.

Since the actor isn't flooding the Internet as much lately, it may be easier for users to tell the difference and weed out the hoaxes. Yet until Sheen is actually dead, or until he actually turns his life around, rumors about his demise are likely to keep coming every few months or so.

Sources

Charlie Sheen (charliesheen) on Twitter

Washington Post- "Charlie Sheen is not dead, despite what the Internet tells you"

The Daily- "Tainted goods"

Mashable- "Charlie Sheen Death Hoax Spreads Malware Through Facebook & Twitter"