Anatomy of a Twitter Rumor: Tiësto Edition

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REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

If you were on Twitter this morning, you would have thought the Dutch DJ and musician had died in California today. Hint: He didn’t kick the bucket.

Rumors floated around Twitter and Google today that Tiësto had died in a car accident. Contrary to popular belief, though, he was alive and well. Celebrities like Bobby Brown, Natalie Portman, Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney and Taylor Lautner have all been subjects of false death reports, so it’s not surprising that someone more obscure (at least in the U.S.) would fall victim as well.

Tiësto deflected rumors via his own Twitter account, saying, “It’s nice to read that people care about my life. Thank you for all the support. It’s good to be alive and to get so much love from you.” He then joked around, proclaiming he would star in the next Twilight movie and creating a hashtag, #tiëstoisalive.

In other Twitter hoaxes today, one of the top Google searches this morning is “Justin Bieber hates Korea,” probably created by pranksters in response to the hijacked poll to send Bieber to North Korea on tour. With all the hoaxes involving him online, though, this is just a typical Bieber day.