Cher Death Hoax Gains Steam After Kim Kardashian Tweets

1:09 PM PST 1/27/2012 by THR Staff

Comments

Getty Images

The 65-year-old singer and actress remains alive and well despite hashtags that might indicate otherwise.

Sometimes it seems as though Twitter's sole purpose is remind celebrities of their own mortality.

Ashton Kutcher vs. Twitter Hacker: 'I'm Coming For You'

Kanye West Launches Twitter Rant About Fame, Fashion, Education, Jetsons

Twitter's Wendi Deng Gaffe: How It Happened

Cher became the latest target of a trending death rumor on Thursday night, and while the misinformation could have easily slipped under the radar, it found its way to one of the site's most popular users.

Kim Kardashian, whose 12.8 million followers make her account the site's fifth most popular, tweeted the news last night, looking for conformation.

PHOTOS: 11 Worst Twitter Gaffes of 2011

"Did I just hear Cher has passed away?" asked the reality star. "Is this real? OMG."

It was not real, as Cher's publicist and multiple parties familiar with her have since confirmed, but the 65-year-old singer/actress probably didn't do the truth any service by remaining silent on the website. Cher hasn't posted on Twitter since Jan. 22.

As for the origins of the rumor, a fabricated retweet of citing the official CNN account was posted by a user with a modest amount of followers. Regardless, "RIP Cher" gained enough steam to find its way to Kim Kardashian in under an hour.

PHOTOS: Hollywood's Twitter Feuds

Kardashian did not seem pleased when she discovered the truth.

"Can't believe people would make up a sick joke like Cher died," she wrote. "These people need to get a life! Thanks Twitter for clearing that up!"

And thank Twitter for giving the story legs in the first place.