Henry Winkler, best known for portraying The Fonz, has become the victim of a celebrity death hoax.
The rumor he was dead started spreading on Twitter and Facebook last night with both real and bot accounts sharing a satirical article about his “passing”.
The 73-year-old actor is not dead and is active on his social media accounts.
The fake story came from a satirical website called Conservative Tears, which claims that the actor died in his home.
The website routinely shares fake satirical news. The story brands the actor a supporter of President Donald Trump and a gun-lover, neither things he is known for. The article appears to have been written in an effort to go viral on social media.
Some fans were lured in by the headline that appeared on social media, with many leaving their condolences, while others were wise to the hoax.
Winkler was the target of another death hoax in September 2018 in a bizarre report which claimed The Fonz actor left half of his estate to Trump’s 2020 Presidential campaign.
Winkler has not released a statement in regard to the fake news report claiming that he died. The American actor is currently promoting his children’s book and spoke about his struggles with dyslexia in a recent interview.
Henry Winkler is married and has two children. He is the godfather of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actress Bryce Dallas Howard.
Winkler recently starred in Adam Sandler movie Sandy Wexler and is currently on HBO series Barry where he portrays Gene Cousineau.