Another celebrity death hoax is doing the rounds, this time it is popular rapper Jay-Z the target of the rumours.
It appears this latest hoax that is circulating social media sites like Facebook has been started by a satirical article titled “Rapper Jay-Z Found Dead Inside at 43”.
The article is actually a satirical piece that jokes at the apparent passing of the rappers “soul”, blaming its demise on “champagne and corporate sponsorships.” At least, according to the article, that’s what the soul of the Notorious B.I.G. has claimed.
Whilst many Facebook users understood the satirical and spoof nature of the article and have taken to sharing it with their friends as such, there seems to be an element of “lost in translation” occurring, as many of those friends are confusing the context to which the article was written.
These confused Facebook users, who clearly haven’t taken neither the time nor the effort to actually read either the headline or accompanying article properly, have jumped to the conclusion that the rapper actually died, and are passing the news onto their friends as such.
And the friends pass it on to their friends, and so on. And a celebrity death hoax is born.
The article includes a poignant looking photo of Jay-Z staring thoughtfully upwards. Of course.
Now unless these Facebook users passing on the news genuinely believe that Jay-Z will be performing live tracks at his own funeral from inside his open casket, it would perhaps be good advice to ensure you read articles like this properly before passing them on to friends under the incorrect assertion that Jay-Z is actually dead.
Else fear the wrath of looking silly on Facebook.
