14 DAY TRIAL // Fans of rapper Eminem must have been shocked to hear in the past several hours that he had died last Monday. Hearts must have skipped a beat when reading headlines starting with “shocking” and “breaking” and tweets tagged with #RIP but, as it turns out, it was all for nothing.
Eminem, no stranger to this type of hoaxes, has found his untimely end once more at the hand of some so-called blogger who ran the story of a Facebook page set up in his name, announcing his passing. As if his death would ever be announced this way and not through the usual official channels.
“At about 11 a.m. ET on Monday (May 26, 2014), our beloved rapper Eminem passed away. Eminem was born on October 17, 1972 in Saint Joseph. He will be missed but not forgotten,” the Facebook page apparently read, further asking for likes to spread the tragic news.
In what is probably the clearest indication that you should never believe everything you read online, the “news” has now been confirmed as a hoax but it didn’t happen before many fans found out about it and took their heartbreak to social media.
As these Internet hoaxes go, Eminem is a kind of “veteran,” having already been “killed off” on several occasions, two of which were so well executed and disseminated they got even diehard fans worrying.
In one such hoax, Eminem was killed in a gruesome car crash, with the story detailing that the first clues at the scene indicated he had been drinking and doing drugs that same night, before getting behind the wheel and engaging in a very speedy drive.
The other said that the rapper had been involved in a brutal fight with knives and that he had been stabbed to death. To add more weight to the story, whoever came up with it even included photos of a man’s bloody and cut back – presumably another victim involved in the attack.
Now this out of the way – Eminem is alive and well, stop worrying! – fans are looking forward to seeing him on tour again. So far, he’s announced a 3-city stint called The Monster Tour that will start in August, with performances booked in New York, L.A., and Detroit.
Barbadian pop star Rihanna, who collaborated with Eminem on the track that gives the name of the tour, included on his most recent album, “Marshal Mathers LP2,” will be joining him on stage.