Mark McGrath, the singer of rock band Sugar Ray, probably hasn’t died, but a likely fake press release that’s being circulated on Twitter and Facebook is saying he passed away.
The bunk release says McGrath was shot several times by a masked gunman on the set of TV show Hot Package.
It reads:
“Musician Mark McGrath has died at the age of 46. McGrath was on the set filming the second season of entertainment show Hot Package when he was confronted by a masked gunman and shot several times. The former Sugar Ray frontman died in the arms of his co-host Derrick Beckles on the Hollywood set of the show.
“In honor of Mr. McGrath’s legacy, his team is asking in liu (sic) of flowers, fans post a Sugar Ray Selfie, holding a packet of sugar over their heard. #RIPMARKMCGRATH.”
Due to the incredulity of his death (the “masked gunman” part) and the final sentence asking for fans to hold a packet of sugar, it’s very likely that this press release is fake.
On Twitter, some people apparently believed the fake release.
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS entertainment update:
Publishers stand by Bill O'Reilly despite accuracy questions
NEW YORK (AP) — Book publishers for Fox News Channel host Bill O'Reilly say they stand behind his work despite questions that have been raised about his reporting.
O'Reilly’s series of books about the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ have sold millions of copies and been turned into successful movies for the National Geographic channel. The latest adaptation, “Killing Jesus,” is set to premiere on Palm Sunday.
The liberal watchdog Media Matters for America this week reported on a 2013 online post that questioned O'Reilly’s claim that in 1977 he was outside the Florida home of George de Mohrenschildt, a friend of Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, when he killed himself with a shotgun. De Mohrenschildt had been contacted by congressional investigators looking into the assassination.
O‘Reilly’s claim that he was there was in his book “Killing Kennedy.” Media Matters quoted police reports, media accounts, former colleagues and other sources that dispute O’Reilly’s claim that he was there. At the time, O'Reilly was a reporter for a Dallas television station.
Henry Holt and Co. “fully stand behind Bill O‘Reilly and his best-seller ’Killing Kennedy,' and we’re very proud to count him as one of our most important authors,” spokesperson Pat Eisemann said.
Fox News issued a statement reiterating its “staunch support” for O'Reilly and said it would not respond to the individual accusations.
Also this week, the publisher of O‘Reilly’s best-selling “The O’Reilly Factor” defended the book, which refers to his disputed coverage of the Falklands War. The magazine Mother Jones said that O'Reilly claimed to be in a “war zone” in Argentina when instead he was at a demonstration far from the front.
