Back in 2009, there was a horrible hoax that Jeff Goldblum had died falling off of a cliff in New Zealand. The hoax was so real that the television news in Australia reported on it. He then went on The Colbert Report to confirm that he was still alive.
Between the time that (the actual) fake news came out and he went on Colbert, a Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen viewer wanted to know if anyone believed that he was no longer with us. The actor told us that his own mom called him to see if he was OK. His poor mom was so nervous that her son was dead and that is so messed up. Not only her, but his friend left a message while crying to find out if it was true.
Thus, the next time someone wants to send out one of the fake death reports, think of the celebrity’s family and friends. And depending on the celebrity, think of everyone for a second who will get some joy out of it and that crushing moment when they find out that person is still alive. That is the worst.
