Zach Braff was forced to create a new YouTube video, to show his fans that he is still alive. The actor was plagued by persistent rumours of having committed suicide, thanks to social-network link-sharing and news agencies who don’t like to attempt to fact-check before declaring someone dead.
The Scrubs star was the victim of one of a series of hoax deaths, this year. Most were believed, after a Summer that saw some of the biggest names of the 70s-90s pass away. The rumours of a suicide were started after a joke page, created in 2007, was picked up and circulated. The page was made to mimic a CNN news page. Despite the URL obviously not being the same, that didn’t stop people taking the story and running around the park with it.
The page has now been replaced with an apology. But Braff still had to let people know he was really okay, and that the news was just a rumour out of control.
Video of Zach Braff dispelling rumour, and then wandering off the subject, below.
Zach Braff, JD of Scrubs TV show, is not dead and had to make the above video.
Image credit to ER/ Flynet Pictures. Story, info. and video Mashable and 3am.
