After Willie Nelson, Martin Lawrence was killed by an internet death hoax. Pranksters made an RIP (Rest in Peace) page on Facebook which created confusions and paved way for the rumours.
"At about 11 am ET on Tuesday (April 14, 2015), our beloved actor Martin Lawrence passed away. Martin Lawrence was born on April 16, 1965 in Frankfurt. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page," the Mediamass reports the text on the page read.
In no time, the page went viral and got 1 million likes. Martin Lawrence's fans expressed their condolences on the page and the Twitter world was shocked to read about the death of the actor.
However, not everyone was fooled as people have become wary of such pranks over the years. Many cross-checked the information to find out whether it was a baseless rumour or a true news to realise that it was a false alarm as no major American publication had carried the report.
Meanwhile, Martin Lawrence's representative also clarified the issue. "He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimised by this hoax. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet." Below, we bring you the reaction of Twitterati:
Jus Jai™ Posted
@realmartymar is alive and well! #MartinLawrence
J Ncha™ Wrote
Apparently the death of #MartinLawrence was a hoax @PhumlaRT and @NdiTshiongo !
Nontobeko Tweeted
No, its a hoax "@vyraskalilitha: Is this true? RT"@rayNcube: Wtf #MartinLawrence is dead.... I'm hurt #RIPmartinLawrence
Baby Luningo Posted
Rumor has it that #MartinLawrence is dead. Is that true people or just a scam?
Timothy Butts Sr Wrote
Thought my boy #martinlawrence died. False alarm.
