Keanu Reeves Death Hoax Hits Twitter as Whitney Houston's Death is Mourned

By Laura Matthews | February 12 2012 11:40 AM

A Keanu Reeves death hoax began spreading on Sunday morning, and became a trending topic on Twitter. The hoax shocked some fans amid mourning for Whitney Houston, who died at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Saturday, at age 48.

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Canadian actor Keanu Reeves is the latest celebrity victim of a death hoax. The death rumors gained traction on Twitter a day after singer Whitney Houston was confirmed dead at 48.

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While Houston's death was confirmed by authorities, there are no official reports that Reeves has died.

The Keanu Reeves death hoax picked up speed on the heels of Houston's death. The story was spread by the fake news site Global Associated News, which has been known to falsely report the deaths of other actors. The site claimed that Reeves died shortly after a snowboarding accident on Sunday.

The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Keanu Reeves lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed, the fake report stated.

Keanu Reeves was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash, the account claimed. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death.

Here's what Twitter users are saying:

-- We're not even done with mourning #WhitneyHouston's death and there are rumors that Keanu Reeves is dead. Please not let this be real! - Gwen Y

-- Snowboarding?? Crazy. RT @Ndirishlover I hope the news about Keanu Reeves is not true. - Tyler Shoemaker

-- Someone tell me that Keanu Reeves hasn't died?? :( - Chloe-leigh Mayes

-- goodness...now their trying to kill Keanu Reeves!! I know hes been ghost for a min but that doesnt mean he deserves internet death!! - Sharne S

-- RT @ST_BMARIE: Noooooooooo Keanu reeves passed!!!!!!!!!!! I can't right now. Think its a hoax - Mr Wide Open Radio

-- Keanu Reeves dies in snowboard accident. so so sad. My condolences to his family. - Danielle Campos

Last week, rapper Drake was a victim of a death hoax that also started trending on Twitter because worried fans were scrambling to find out whether the news was true. Prior to that actor Eddie Murphy was rumored dead, TMZ verified that Murphy was in fact alive after Web site MediaFetcher.com triggered the false report.

Other celebrities who have been falsely reported as dead include Adele, Rick Ross, LeBron James, Jon Bon Jovi, Charlie Sheen, Adam Sandler, TooShort, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Luke Perry, Jack Black, Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Tom Green, Mac Miller, Tiger Woods, and George Clooney to name a few.