Outline
Social media driven messages claim that much-loved actor Johnny Depp has died, either from drowning on a film set or in a car accident.
Brief Analysis
The claims are false. Johnny Depp is alive and well. This hoax is just one more in a long, sorry line of celebrity death hoaxes that have lately plagued social media sites. In fact, Johnny Depp has been the victim of several death hoaxes in recent years.
Examples
Detailed Analysis
According to various messages circulating via Twitter and Facebook, much loved and respected actor Johnny Depp has died. There are at least two versions of the story currently circulating. One claims that Depp died due to a drowning accident while filming on the set if his new blockbuster movie, The Lone Ranger. An alternative version claims that the star died in a car accident.
Thankfully, both stories are false. Johnny Depp is alive and well.
The “drowning” variant of the rumour may have been born of a real-life tragedy in which Mike Bridger, a crew member on the Lone Ranger set, died while cleaning a water tank in September 2012. This death was initially reported as a drowning, although later reports suggest that the crew member died of a heart attack.
The car accident version appears to be a born-again variant of an earlier Johnny Depp death hoax that circulated back in 2010. In fact, as with other high profile celebrities, Depp has been targeted in several death hoaxes in the last few years.
It is always a good idea to check the veracity of any celebrity death rumour that comes your way before your repost or forward it. If a celebrity really dies, the news is sure to be extensively reported by mainstream media outlets around the world. So, if true, reports about the demise of high profile individuals should be easily discoverable via news search sites such as Google News.
Moreover, users should avoid clicking links in such unsubstantiated celebrity death stories. Some such links may lead to malware or phishing sites, survey scams or other undesirable destinations.
