The latest in a series of social media celebrity hoaxes, despite a viral weekend post claiming the 79-year-old had passed away, Barry Gibb is very much alive.
On Sunday (5.24,) rumors of the legendary Bee Gee’s death gained traction when a Facebook page titled “R.I.P. Barry Gibb” accumulated some 1,000,000 likes. Now removed from social media, the post featured a detailed, yet false account claiming that the British hitmaker had died earlier that day.
While the original page has since been deleted, the rumors had already spread across social media and online message boards, with multiple Facebook posts reporting the false news alongside AI-created images of the iconic singer/songwriter.
Despite the false death reports, however, family sources have told TMZ that Gibb “is healthy, happy, and living life at his Miami-area home.”
Alongside his younger brothers, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Barry achieved international success in the 1970s as a founding member of the Bee Gees, releasing such hits as ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ ‘Night Fever,’ ‘How Deep Is Your Love,’ and ‘You Should Be Dancing.’
With Maurice passing in 2003 at the age of 53 and Robin dying in 2012 at the age of 62, Barry is the last surviving member of the legendary UK trio.
Following in the fictitious footsteps of Justin Bieber, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, and Michael J. Fox, Barry Gibb is the latest celebrity to be subjected to bogus death reports.
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Raph_PH