Internet Death Hoax Claims Our Celebrities

The Internet rumor mill seems to run especially rampant during the down time between Christmas and the New Year, breaking the bad news to us that our favorite celebrities have died. Among the dearly departed in one recent week-long stretch were Aretha Franklin, Owen Wilson, Adam Sandler, and Benjamin Franklin. Add to that the summer passing of Bill Cosby, and it's been a rough year for star-lovers. Or, rather, it WOULD have been a rough year had these reports been anything more than twitter-brained rumors. Celebrity gossip has been a profitable business for years, as evidenced by the various rumor rags available on newsstands everywhere, but the Internet breathes new life into this favorite pastime.

Now that we've been subjected to so many false demise reports, can we really trust any "news" that comes from anywhere but full-blown, established information outlets like the Associated Press or TMZ (sarcasm intended)? Could this indeed be a plot by various newspapers to take back some of the thunder stolen by Twitter, Facebook, and your favorite blog in recent years? Or is this just a case of modern and anonymous P.T. Barnums preying on our gullibility and gnat-like attention spans? And will Luke and Laura finally find eternal happiness?

Whatever the case, it's been a rough landscape lately for star-gazers, hopping from sadness to anger to cynicism and back within the confines of a few 140-letter posts. On the bright side, we will now always hold out some hope when the worst has apparently befallen our favorite celeb. Maybe Elvis really IS still with us!