Paul Walker was a victim of a death hoax on Facebook that spread to other websites just one day before his death, but he is not alive--after the hoax Walker did indeed die in a car crash.
The hoax was apparently circulating in November, up to just one day before the real death of Walker.
Walker, 40, perished after the car he was in ran into a light pole, and caught fire. Both Walker and driver Roger Rodas died.
(AP Photo/The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, Dan Watson)
The two stories conflicted with each other, so some people sought to tell others that Walker was in fact alive though he had actually died.
The websites that picked up on the death hoax reportedly fixed the stories and are now reporting that Walker is in fact dead.
Mediaite reported that MediaMass.net was one of the sites that reported Walker was dead on Friday. A Facebook page “RIP Paul Walker” had over a million likes on Friday.
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Friday (November 29, 2013), our beloved actor Paul Walker passed away. Paul Walker was born on September 12, 1973 in Glendale. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page,” read the about section of the Facebook page.
Apparently MediaMass is a satire site, and was reporting the fake news as real news as “media criticism.”
Walker died on Saturday.
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