Declaring celebrities dead is one of the most common fake news themes, and this time the target of the rumour-mongers was none other than Sylvester Stallone of Rocky Balboa fame.
From 18 February, various posts started circulating on social media claiming that Stallone had died. One of them claimed that the actor was suffering from prostrate cancer and kept his illness a secret.
The fake post, accompanied by pictures of Stallone meant to show his ill-health, has been shared more than 20 lakh times on Facebook.
However, the 71-year-old actor was quick to debunk the rumours, as he posted a screenshot of the fake post on Instagram, and wrote, "Please ignore this stupidity...Alive and well and happy and healthy...Still punching!"
Stallone also sought to lighten the mood later, when he a posted a video on Instagram of himself and his daughters, accompanied by the caption, "Locking my daughters outside during a slight hail storm... It's so great to be back from the Dead!!!"
Meanwhile, Sylvester Stallone's younger brother Frank Stallone lashed out at the death hoax in a series of posts on social media, saying that the fake post upset him as well as his 96-year-old mother.
He also clarified that the picture used in the fake posts to underline Sylvester's illness, was from the make-up trailer on the sets of the film Creed.
Have we become a diseased society, with mass shootings so much discord and hatred. Things must change or we’re heading for certain disaster.Frank Stallone, Sylvester Stallone’s brother.
Notably, this is not the first time that Sylvester Stallone has falsely been pronounced dead. Such rumours also circulated in September 2016.
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