Celine Dion has been the victim of several death hoaxes in recent weeks--saying she was involved in a car accident or plane crash--but the singer recently gave an interview about it.
“Many years ago I [apparently] killed myself in my own garage. Don’t ask me why I don’t want to be a part of the showbiz industry,” she told Digital Spy in a report on Saturday.
The death hoaxes make her “a little mad,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s freaky because I have to call my family about it. I was celebrating the birthday of my twins in Montreal and I was getting these phone calls saying there was stuff on Facebook that I was dead,” she said.
She added: “The thing that worries me is my mom. It makes me a little mad - she’s 86 years old and if I’m not on the phone telling her I’m OK four seconds after it’s on the news… it doesn’t matter what they say, it’s the impact it has on your family.”
The death hoaxes have been spread via Facebook and Twitter, but as About.com notes, they are rogue apps.
The Facebook app appears to have a legitimate news piece from Fox News or CNN, including: “Her heart will go on? Highway Safety Investigators have told reporters that Celine Dion lost control while driving a friend’s vehicle on Interstate 80 and rolled the vehicle several times killing her instantly. The vehicle was believed to have been traveling at approximately 95 miles per hour in a 55mph zone at the time of the accident.”
Another says, “Hollywood Breaking News) - R.I.P Celine Dion At about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday (October 20, 2013), Celine Dion died in a plane crash. The culprit for the story is Global Associated, aka Mediafetcher.”
When one accesses the app, it then requests your personal information and to repost, thus spreading it.
