Mickey Rourke Did NOT Die in A Snowboard Accident

Outline
Messages circulating via social media claim that actor Mickey Rourke has died in a snowboarding accident.



Brief Analysis
The claims are untrue. Mickey Rourke is alive and has not been involved in a snowboarding accident. This set of rumours is just the latest in a long line of messages that falsely claim that a celebrity has died. It is always wise to verify circulating claims that a celebrity has died via a credible news source before reposting.

Last updated: January 24, 2013
First published: January 24, 2013
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example

Mickey Rourke did NOT die in a snowboard accident

Detailed Analysis
According to messages that are circulating rapidly via social media posts, US based actor Mickey Rourke has been killed in a recent snowboarding accident. Links in the message point to an article, designed to seem like a news story, that supposedly provides more information about the actor's tragic demise.

However, the claims in the message are false. Mickey Rourke has not been involved in an accident and is very much alive. In fact, Rourke is just another victim in a long series of similar celebrity death hoaxes.

This false death rumour originates from a tasteless "prank" website that allow users to create bogus news stories detailing the supposed death of various celebrities. Those who choose to use the services offered by the site can pick from several "news" templates, add the name of their chosen celebrity and then attempt to fool their friends by sharing the bogus story. One such template is the "snowboarding accident" story used in this hoax. Many famous people have been falsely reported as dying in the very same snowboarding accident, including popular actor Adam Sandler. Alternative versions falsely claim that the targeted celebrity has died in a car accident or fell to his or her death from a cliff while filming in New Zealand.

Before you share or repost a message that claims that a famous person has died, it is always worthwhile to check the story via a reputable news source. If a well-known person such as Sylvester Stallone does die, the news is sure to be widely reported by the main-stream media, so a quick search of a news source such as Google News should quickly reveal if the claims in a message are true or false.

Users should also be aware that some of these false celebrity death messages may contain links that lead to survey scams or malware websites.



References
Mickey Rourke Dead? Actor Becomes Victim of Internet Death Hoax
Celebrity Hoaxes
Neil Tennant is NOT Dead
Tom Hanks Death Hoax
Wrestling Star John Cena is NOT Dead

Last updated: January 24, 2013
First published: January 24, 2013
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer