Celebrity Death Hoaxes
Some have burned up in high-speed car crashes. Others have plunged from off exotic New Zealand cliffs; not to mention suicide, murder, and snowboarding. All out there. All false.
So here's a list of our favorite celebrity death hoaxes and what our stars have done since they've risen from the dead.
Adam Sandler
Life After Death: No, Adam Sandler is not buried under 20 feet of snow, nor was his lifeless body dragged down from a Switzerland mountain. Which is all good news, since the 44-year-old father of two has plenty to do.
Sandler has a several movies coming out in 2011, including the comedy "Jack & Jill," the animated feature "Zookeeper," and the romantic comedy "Just Go with It," with Jennifer Aniston and Brooklyn Decker.
Aretha Franklin
Life After Death: 68 and still kicking, Aretha was actually recovering from an undisclosed surgery shortly before her death hoax hit the web.
Charlie Sheen
Life After Death: Charlie doesn't have time to be dead. He's busy collecting huge piles of cash as the star of "Two and a Half Men." Also, Charlie has to fend off charges that he attacked a porn star, find time for rehab and deal with the pending divorce from wife Brooke Mueller, who he allegedly attacked in an Aspen hotel.
Not dead, but if the charges are true, pretty sick.
Bill Cosby
Life After Death: Shortly after reports surfaced that Cosby had kicked it, the 73-year-old comedian tweeted that he was indeed very much alive, thank you very much, and to please download his iPhone app and sign up for his Twitter account.
Did he mention he has an iPhone app?
Lindsay Lohan
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Life After Death: While the idea that Lindsay Lohan could overdose is not outlandish, the 24-year-old has been busy in and out of rehab and trying to stay a step ahead of jail.
Britney Spears
Life After Death: While some say her career is dead, the 29-year-old certainly isn't.
How can we prove the real living breathing Britney wasn't replaced by a perfect Japanese robot replica? Well, we can't. But since she's been dead, Britney has appeared on "Glee" and recorded a seventh studio album.
Or at least her robot has.
Justin Beiber
Life After Death: Bieber dead at just 16? Don't count on it. The teen idol is still busy breaking young girls' hearts and pretending to make amateur videos on YouTube.
He also penned a book explaining all that he has learned in the first few months of his life.
Miley Cyrus
Life After Death: It's hard to know just how long the hyper-famous teen has been dead. Some reports go back to 2007. Another hoax spread across the web in 2008 claiming a car accident did her in.
Whatever the case, since her alleged demise, Cyrus has been awful busy appearing in pole dance videos and thrilling parents with her conservative wardrobe choices.
Nick Jonas
Life After Death: Nick Jonas' fake death was truly tragic, but his real life has been pretty good. In early 2010, he formed his own band, Nick Jonas and the Administration" and even toured with them.
Dead people don't do that.
Taylor Swift
Life After Death: A made up allergy is what allegedly killed Taylor Swift in 2009. However, since then the 21-year-old has been quite prolific. She has now sold more digital downloads than any country music performer in history, according to SoundScan, got a role in her first feature film and, according to the rumor mill, landed actor Jake Gyllenhall as a boyfriend.
Then again, the rumor mill said she was dead.
Russell Crowe
Life After Death: Everyone knows Russell Crowe is a wild man. That's why no one was surprised to hear that the 46-year-old fell off some mountain and died. Except he didn't.
Since then the New Zealand native hasn't been doing much publicly, but that doesn't mean he's dead, so don't go emailing anyone about this.
Will Smith
Life After Death: Rumors of Will Smith's untimely demise in a car accident have been swirling since 2007. Four years later, they're still not true.
But that doesn't mean Smith has been standing around waiting for the grave. In 2010, the 42-year-old released "Karate Kid," starring his son and is in pre-production for "Men in Black III."
Paris Hilton
Life After Death: Was Paris Hilton stabbed to death or did she commit suicide in jail in 2007? Neither. Instead she has spent her extra years on Earth shooting various movies and making TV appearances.
She also found time to get busted with cocaine in her purse. She said it wasn't hers although the other random stuff, like money and ID, found in the purse were.
A judge threw the book at her. Well, a very small book anyway. He said if she was caught again, she would go back to jail, which is part of Las Vegas' strict 23 strikes and your out rule for troubled debutantes.
Will Ferrell
Life After Death: We cried at Will Ferrell's fake funeral. But have pretty much been laughing since then. In 2007, the California native started the web comedy site "Funny or Die." Then followed with movies like "Semi-Pro" and "Land of the Lost." In 2010, he voiced the animated feature "Megamind," which is not a mega-hit.
Kanye West
Life After Death: Kanye hasn't done much since his hoaxed death except release the critically acclaimed album "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," start producing a collaboration album with Jay-Z and sort of apologize to former president George W. Bush for saying he didn't care about black people after Hurricane Katrina.
Clearly, he's using his extra time on Earth wisely.
Paul McCartney
Life After Death: You don't need the Internet to have a death hoax. Paul McCartney proved that back in the 60s. The rumor that he was dead and replaced by a body double was so pervasive that in 1969 Life magazine had to run the cover story "Paul is Still with Us."
In the 40 years since his alleged demise, much has happened, of course, including several legendary albums with the Beatles, a good run with the Wings, a solo career that spans decades and scores of gold records, two marriages, five children, and British knighthood.
By the way, John Lennon assassination - not a hoax.