Johnny Depp Dead Online, but Not in Real Life

Johnny Depp dead rumors have dominated the Internet all morning. Yet the story that Depp is dead isn't true, as are most stories of its type. 2009 was utterly dominated by fake celebrity death rumors - and by real ones as well. So to start 2010, the fake celebrity death cycle has laid to rest the Sexiest Man Alive, and one of the biggest stars in the world. The Johnny Depp dead rumors are certainly unique, even by recent standards, but few are believing them.

According to the allegations, the actor was killed in a car crash near Bordeaux, France this morning. But unlike so many other rumors of its kind, those behind this one went all out to make people believe Johnny Depp was dead.

First of all, the culprits created a fake CNN page on Angelfire, which allegedly reported Depp's death. They even had a picture of his wrecked car, after it supposedly crashed into a guard rail. The website claims that CNN's Melissa Gray and Harris Whitback wrote this report - but there are many obvious clues that they didn't.

For one thing, the story is listed as having been posted on March 25, 2004. For another, right after it says that "alcohal" caused the incident, there is a story below about British explorers who escaped from caves in Mexico. If CNN was going to report that Johnny Depp was dead, they wouldn't include a completely unrelated story in the web page - and would write more than a few sentences about it.

For all intents and purposes, it can be safely assumed that Depp is alive. With this 'story' he joins the vast ranks of celebrities who have been killed online, like Miley Cyrus, Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum. Some celebrities get killed multiple times by online rumors, like Cyrus, so this is one A-list that Depp hasn't reached yet.

On the off chance that he did die, it would have thrown Disney for a loop, since his new movie Alice in Wonderland opens in early March. Terry Gilliam would have partially been blamed for cursing Depp, since he cast him as one of the late Heath Ledger's replacements in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - and had him give a speech about legends who died young. For now, that remains a tribute to Ledger, and not foreshadowing for Depp's own passing.

Johnny Depp dead rumors have begun another year of fake celebrity death stories. What's more, it will be that much harder to believe celebrity death reports when they're actually true.

Sources

Angelfire- "CNN: Johnny Depp involved in fatal car crash."

Gather.com- "Johnny Depp Dead?"

SF Gate- "Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"