Rick Astley Dead? Not So Much!

Rick Astley is reportedly dead. Rick Astley is also reportedly NOT dead. In what appears to be yet another Internet death hoax this week, a fake AP report said the singer-songwriter, most famous for his one-hit wonder single Never Gonna Give You Up in 1987, had been found dead in a Berlin Hotel Room.

Rick Astley is reportedly dead.

Rick Astley is also reportedly NOT dead.

In what appears to be yet another Internet death hoax this week, a fake AP report said the singer-songwriter, most famous for his one-hit wonder single “Never Gonna Give You Up” in 1987, had been found dead in a Berlin Hotel Room.

According to a CNN iReport that appeared to be based on a legitimate AP wire story, Astley’s body was found at the Angleterre Hotel in Berlin:

“[Rick Astley] was found unconscious in his hotel bedroom and was unable to be resuscitated. He was pronounced dead on the scene.”

However, the story did not appear on the official AP newswire, and a link on the Digg social networking site took visitors to a YouTube clip of Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up” and said, “You’ve beeen Rickrolled.”

While the people reponsible for this probably thought this was pretty funny, it was a borderline move at best during a week in which several prominent figures died – Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Billy Mays.

Over the past week alone, fake news reports have surfaced saying such stars as Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney, and Natalie Portman had died.

Twitter hacking of Miley Cyrus and Britney Spears‘ accounts also suggested the premature demise of these talented youngsters. Will it ever end?

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