Claim: EastEnders star Danny Dyer has died.
Example: [Collected via Twitter, January 2015]
To Eastenders fans who love mick Carter. You won't be seeing him anymore as he has sadly died her is the link.
Origins: In early January 2015, a rumor began to circulate on Facebook that EastEnders star Danny Dyer had died at the age of 37. According to subsequent news reports, the rumor was spread by an individual Facebook user from Wolverhampton.
The hoax was generated using Feednewz.com, a site that allows users of social media sites to create their own fake news stories. For unknown reasons, the tale claiming Dyer had died propagated far and fast, prompting the actor to post to Twitter and deny the rumor:
I'm alive..much 2 the despair of whoever that sick prick on face book is saying..don't let em get in ya nut my loves. pic.twitter.com/d6jMgAr0sn
— Danny Dyer (@MrDDyer) January 3, 2015
While the individual blamed for starting the Danny Dyer hoax has since apologized (and was "dressed down" by local authorities), it should be noted similar fake news stories are generated daily by users visiting that website. Clicking through to the linked page will reveal the message "you got owned," but several users shared the link without opening it to reveal the prank.
Last updated: 5 January 2015