Claim:
Actress Goldie Hawn has died.
Valuation:
Goldie Hawn, who found fame in the 1987 romantic comedy Overboard, isn’t overboard, as the saying goes. She’s still with us, despite a January 2023 death hoax falsely claiming otherwise.
For example, a widely shared YouTube video contained an incorrect caption: “5 minutes ago / Goldie Hawn dies in hospital, her husband Kurt Russell needs one last goodbye.” It was falsely claimed that she was moribund and hospitalized as a result of a stroke. The YouTube channel that posted the Deceased Stars video has nothing but fake celebrity obituaries.
Hawn is part of a famous Hollywood family. Her partner is actor Kurt Russell and her daughter is actress Kate Hudson. If Hawn had really died, or even if she had been seriously ill, it would no doubt have sparked news stories from celebrity news and gossip sites, as well as old news outlets as well. But to date, no such stories have been published.
Hoaxes about celebrity deaths are a common form of online hoax. Some celebrities who have been wrongly reported dead while still very much alive include Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and comedian Eddie Murphy.
Sources:
LaCapria, Kim. “Eddie Murphy Death Swindle.” Snopes, May 19, 2018, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/eddie-murphy-death-hoax/.
Mikelson, David. “Dwayne Johnson Death Scam.” Snopes, April 7, 2014, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/dwayne-johnson-death-hoax/.
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