From Heath Streak to Eminem: Celebrity death hoaxes that shocked fans in 2023

In the latest, Zimbabwe cricket legend Heath Streak had to clarify that he was alive hours after reports suggested that he passed away due to cancer.

The Internet has no dearth of information and it is not rare to come across unverified news about celebrities’ lives that often spreads like wildfire on social media platforms. From divorce rumours of a celebrity couple to false claims of a singer’s death, there have been instances when viral news has turned out to be false. In the latest, Zimbabwe cricket legend Heath Streak had to clarify that he was alive hours after reports suggested that he passed away due to cancer.

Streak is not the only celebrity who was believed to be dead by a section of people this year. Here is the list of celebrity death hoaxes that raised eyebrows recently.

Heath Streak

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak is the latest to fall victim to a death hoax. On August 23, Streak’s former teammate Henry Olonga shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the cricket legend had passed away.

“Sad news coming through that Heath Streak has crossed to the other side. RIP legend. The greatest all rounder we produced. It was a pleasure playing with you. See you on the other side when my bowling spell comes to an end,” the now-deleted post read.

Following this, Streak’s fans along with former and current international cricketers paid tributes to the former Zimbabwe captain. But, hours later, Olonga shared a screenshot of his supposed conversation with Streak and clarified that Streak is alive.

“I can confirm that rumours of the demise of Heath Streak have been greatly exaggerated. I just heard from him. The third umpire has called him back. He is very much alive folks,” the post read.

Lil Tay

A statement was shared on the Instagram page of rapper and influencer Claire Eileen Qi Hope, also known as Lil Tay, on August 9 announcing that the 14-year-old had died along with her brother.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the devastating news of our beloved Claire’s sudden and tragic passing. We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribable pain,” the statement in the now-deleted post read.

“This outcome was entirely unexpected and has left us all in shock. Her brother’s passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother’s passing are still under investigation,” the statement added.

The news spread quickly and tributes started pouring in for the young rapper. However, just a day later, Lil Tay stated in an interview to a media outlet that her Instagram account got hacked and that she and her brother were ‘safe and alive’.

Lil Tay added that it had been traumatising for her and her family to deal with emotional phone calls from relatives and friends.

Jeremy Renner

In June this year, hashtag RIP Jeremy Renner started trending on Twitter with many believing that the actor had actually died. It came months after Renner, known for playing Hawkeye in Marvel movies, suffered a traumatic injury while plowing snow and was hospitalised. Renner also shared a photo of him from the hospital with bruises on his face and oxygen tubes in his nose.

Later in May, Renner shared a video on Instagram to update fans about his health. In the clip, he is seen learning to walk again.

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