In the era of social media, Eminem’s finite presence on the internet, call him old school, does not satiate his fans. The result? Eminem death hoaxes. Recently, ‘Eminem dead’ began trending on social media leaving rapheads in a spin. But it was later confirmed that the fan-favorite rapper is alive.
It is worth finding out what really started Eminem’s death hoax for the third time overall.
What started the latest Eminem death hoax?
The internet is a weird place. The 51-year-old rapper’s death hoax, not the first, was reignited after his Wikipedia page was altered with false information. The page announced that Eminem died on December 10, 2023, in Madison, Wisconsin, per The Sun. Therefore, when netizens searched for him on the internet, Eminem was shown as dead on the given date.
The following moments saw the internet weep over the Detroit-based rapper’s demise as it spread like fire over social media. But eventually, fans caught wind of the hoax and condemned it. By now, there have been over two Eminem death hoaxes.
Wikipedia, which allows almost anyone to edit their information, has removed the rapper’s false death. The site also semi-protected Eminem’s page citing digital vandalism.
Earlier, a Facebook page dedicated to the rapper’s death, entitled, R.I.P Eminem, garnered a million likes for perpetuating fake information. It stated that the 15-time Grammy winner had passed away at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, August 19, 2023. The highly detailed and emotional account of Eminem’s demise tricked many fans into believing the news. Days later, the rapper’s reps once again had to confirm that Eminem was in fact, alive. “He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet,” his reps declared.
There was another similar death hoax in December 2022 after #Ripeminem was caught trending on social media, and eulogies poured down by his global fan base.
Eminem finds potential in his death hoaxes
It must feel weird for Eminem, a record-breaking rapper, to constantly clarify being alive. But the ingenuine artist knows how to make the best out of the worst, as the world knows it. On Monday, May 13, 2024, The Detroit News published a three-page long obituary with the headline, “Slim Shady Made Lasting Impressions”
It was later revealed that The rapper himself released the obituary to promote his comeback album, The Death of Slim Shady. Eminem’s 12th studio album was previously announced in late April with an impressive teaser that chronicled his death in a true-crime series like fashion.
“A product of Detroit who began his career there as a rogue splinter in the flourishing underground rap scene of the mid to late 1990’s, Shady first became a household name in 1999 with the debut of his playfully deranged single ‘My Name Is,’ which — along with its uniquely eye catching video — exposed the young artist and his lyrics to a wider audience,” the initial segment of the obituary stated. It also referenced Eminem finding peace in his afterlife which he apparently “could not find on Earth.”
Safe to say that Eminem is faking his own death now.
The Death of Slim Shady is set to drop in the summer this year.
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