Action star Arnold Schwarzenegger was falsely reported to be dead yesterday. According to the report police responded to a call from a Los Angeles home after receiving an 911 call for a "unresponsive male", which turned out to be the former governor of California. The "news" was revoked shortly after.
In fact, the media have falsely pronounced actors "dead" several times in the past. Here are just some of them.
Zhao Benshan
Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan was reported "dead" in April, 2013. The news spread quickly, and many fans expressed their condolence through social media.
Shortly after, Liu Shuangping, artistic director at Benshan Media, called the news "absurd," as he was "still on the phone with him ten minutes ago."
Wang Xiaoli, a disciple of Zhao who was working alongside him for a new production at the time, said his master was perfectly well, and denounced anyone who would release such a news during Qingming Festival, a period when the Chinese often remember the deceased.
Jackie Chan
China's kung fu superstar Jackie Chan was pronounced "dead" by CNM Informativo in May this year.
According to the report, Chan died of heart complications at a hospital in Hong Kong, and his wife Lin Fengjiao later confirmed the star's passing. The report went on further and stated the date of the funeral wasn't set as yet, but that Chan would be buried next to his parents.
"Ah, what can I do!" wrote Chan after learning his own "death" on his Weibo account.
Jiang Wen
Cannes-winning Chinese director Jiang Wen was reported "dead" due to a heart attack in Sept, 2014. Later, Yang Zhou Evening News contacted an insider in Beijing's showbiz and confirmed the news was false.
Beijing Bu Yi Le Hu Film Company, where Jiang entrusts his management, issued a statement to revoke the news. "Jiang Wen's health is in good condition. For those who maliciously spread false rumors, we retain all legal rights to seek justice," the statement read.
Leo Ku
Hong Kong-based Chinese singer Leo Ku was reported "dead" from a car accident in June, 2014. The news shocked social media, but was soon revoked by Ku's manager Mani Fok on her Weibo account.
Ku himself also called the false death report as a "prank."
"I just came home from filming a commercial. I learned about the prank from text messages from friends. Rest assured, my dear friends, I plan to live a long life to take care of my parents and my wife," Ku wrote.
Liu Xiao Ling Tong
Actor Liu Xiao Ling Tong, best known for his portrayal of the Monkey King in the first television adaptation of the classic tale Journey to the West in 1986, has been pronounced "dead" several times.
In June of 2014, he made a statement on Weibo.
"Ever since May of 2013, every few months I have Internet users tell me that I have been reported 'dead'. These rumors spread from Weibo to WeChat, and they all seem to happen in that hospital that doesn't exist in Shaoxing (of Zhejiang province)," the actor wrote according to a report from Nanning Evening News.
The rumors have severely affected his life and work, Liu added.
Li Yuchun
Singer Li Yuchun, who rose to stardom from participating in the reality talent show Super Girl, was pronounce dead due to an anesthetic accident during an operation in March, 2012. The same afternoon, Li appeared in a photography event in Beijing.
EE-Media, management company of Li, said the rumor caused great damage to the reputation of Li and Li would take legal actions against the rumormonger.
