The recent death hoax surrounding Bill Cosby is part of a long tradition in history's never ending rumor mill. Dating way back to 1945, word circulated that Frank Sinatra and Charlie Chaplin, among other public figures, were dead. Chaplin died in 1977 and Sinatra lived until 1998. It seems as though our fascination with death at the very least equals our reverence of fame. There have been some truly strange reports of celebrity deaths throughout the years. Here are a few of the highlights.
Bill Cosby shot down rumors of his death on CNN, stating: "I don't want [whoever spread the rumor] to do this anymore, because this is my fourth time being reported [dead]."
Bill Nye was recently thought dead, but he put rumors to rest when he posted a photo of himself on Twitter Monday.
Will Ferrel was reportedly killed in a paragliding accident in 2006.
Jaleel White (Steve Urkel) supposedly committed suicide and wrote a note reading, "Did I do that?" It's a wonder that anyone could have believed this one.
Johnny Knoxville was said to have jumped from a bi-plane while eating a jar of baked beans, only to have his parachute fail.
Paul McCartney was the target of an infamous rumor in 1966 that asserted the musician was dead and had been replaced by a doppelganger. Rumors indicated that the truth was hidden on the Beatles' records, assuming that you played them backwards.
Tony Danza, Tom Cruise, Hilary Duff, Tom Hanks and Jeff Goldblum had each fallen to their deaths off of the cliffs of New Zealand, according to a recurring rumor. New Zealand is a popular setting for fictional deaths, it seems.
Zach Braff was rumored to have killed himself by overdosing on pills. Zach personally responded to the claims.
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