Reports of Tina Turner’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
The rock Queen, known for hits like River Deep – Mountain High and The Best – fell victim to a cruel hoax in late January, which reached enough people to see “Tina Turner dead” trending on social media.
On Monday, January 23 (local time), Turner’s representatives confirmed the singer is very much alive, but a day earlier, a hoax by YouTube account Celebrity Biographies caused internet chaos with streams of tributes to the singer on social media, The Sun reported.
It all started with a single video, captioned, “8 minutes ago! Music Queen Tina Turner dies at the age of 83. The pain is too great.”
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Dig a little deeper and the same account has a history of death scams for likes and shares. Whoopi Goldberg, Kate Winslet and Will Smith have previously been targeted.
But even now, a search for Tina Turner on Facebook or Twitter is met with mistaken tributes and news of the star’s death.
“Jut heard.. R.I.P Tina Turner.. so much love and respect. Our kids can only wish they grew up with you and your talent,” one Facebook post read.
”With a heavy heart at the last farewell of singer Tina Turner, her tragic life has come to an end,” wrote another.
Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images
Despite internet rumours, Tina Turner is “alive and well”, her reps say.
A Facebook page, R.I.P Tina Turner, was even set up, and stated the star died on January 22, 2023.
“She will be missed but not forgotten … Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page,” it read.
The page appears to have been taken down.
In response to the hoax, Turner’s representatives said, “she is alive and well, stop believing what you see on the internet.”
Once the hoax was confirmed, fans took to Twitter to express themselves.
“Not a Tina Turner death hoax y’all take it too f…ing far don’t touch the queen of rock,” one Tweet read, while another called out death hoaxes as not being funny.
”It’s rude and disrespectful to the fans and to the artist. Tina Turner is alive so is Elton John.”
The Turner hoax came just over a month after the singer confirmed her son Ronnie, 62, died in December, 2022.
“Ronnie, you left the world far too early,” Turner wrote on Instagram.
“In sorrow I close my eyes and think of you, my beloved son.”
Ronnie’s death came four years after Turner lost oldest son, Craig, who in July 2018 died by suicide at the age of 59.
