&Quot;Death Hoax&Quot;

When I received an invitation last month to come to Macedonia to talk with the fact checkers and journalists at the Metamorphosis Foundation about Lead Stories' experience with our automatically generated short-form fact checking videos, I didn't hesitate for a moment. Ever since 2019 when I wrote about a network of Macedonian fake news websites operating out of the town…

Did Laila Ali lose her life while giving birth in a Canadian hospital in March 2025? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the 47-year-old former world boxing champ and daughter of boxing great Muhammad Ali was pregnant in March 2025 or that she died while birthing a child. Ali posted a video on March 30, 2025, to…

Has Oprah Winfrey died as of January 17, 2025, as implied by viral social media posts? No, that's not true: An article attached to a post implying that Winfrey died did not provide evidence of her supposed death nor mention anywhere in the article text that she had died. Winfrey was active on her verified social media accounts the same…

Has actor Jim Carrey died as of December 15, 2024? No, that's not true: The actor was seen alive in public following the publication of an article that reported his supposed death. The website that published this article contained other articles that falsely reported celebrity deaths and did not list validating information. No information about Carrey's supposed death was reported…

Did tennis star Serena Williams die following a tragic car crash in Texas in September 2024, as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: As of September 25, 2024, there was no evidence to suggest that Williams had died. The legendary athlete posted on Instagram after the post about her supposed car crash was published. No major media…

Did a homophobic man from Florida shoot his male doctor twice in the chest because he had an orgasm during a prostate exam? No, that's not true: This 'Florida man' article is fictional and was published by the now-defunct fake news and satire website Bok Daily on September 7, 2020. The images of the two men included in the original…

Does a video on social media prove that the death of former FBI agent Ted Gunderson was connected to his public speeches and did not result from natural causes? No, that's not true: The video, shared under different captions on social media that implied such a scenario, contradicted the initial announcement about Gunderson's death made by his son, who told…

Has Mike Tyson, a former professional boxer, died as of August 2, 2023? No, that's not true: A Tyson representative told Lead Stories that this claim is "fake news." Tyson has also been active on his verified social media accounts since this claim was published. The claim appeared in a post on Facebook on July 26, 2023. The caption opened:…

Was Shirley Caesar, a Grammy award-winning gospel singer and celebrated pastor, deceased as of May 9, 2023? No, that's not true: Caesar made at least one public appearance after May 9, 2023. There is also no indication that her health was failing at the time of writing. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) posted on YouTube on May…

Did Robin Roberts, the longtime co-host of ABC Television's "Good Morning America" (GMA) die on January 30, 2023? No, that's not true: As of February 1, 2023, Roberts remained alive and well, and actively posting on Instagram from New Zealand. The post implying that she had died is a ruse to get readers to an ad for CBD products. The…