Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Who Killed Morgan Freeman?

The internet likes to kill Morgan Freeman.
Early in September, the Facebook page R.I.P. Morgan Freeman started - and this hoax refuses to...er...die!
The page proclaimed: "At about 5pm ET on Thursday, our beloved actor Morgan Freeman passed away due to an artery rupture. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page." Rather than check a credible news source, foolish Facebook followers believed this BS! The page has more than 67,000 "likes" and is the subject of countless news stories.
Morgan Freeman may have played God, made a bucket list and been killed at the box office, but he is not dead. Morgan Freeman is very much alive, as confirmed (several times!) by his agent...who's also shot down the rumour that he's voicing an audio book of Fifty Shades of Grey (sorry, ladies!).
Freeman's not the only celeb to have been killed on-line: Jeff Goldblum, Justin Bieber and the much-loved Bill Cosby are other regular victims (Cosby - again - just last month. Bieber's real demise however may be eagerly awaited by music purists).
The motivation for starting these rumours escapes me. Many say there's no harm done by them, but there is. From family to friends to fans, even a moment of seeing these headlines before common sense kicks in is hurtful.
Long live Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, and other quality entertainers!
As for the rumour-mongers (and Justin Bieber), well...

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