Reba McEntire
is "alive and well" after becoming the latest celebrity to fall victim
to a death hoax that spread via the Internet. The Global Associated News website, which includes a disclaimer that its reports
are "a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes," distributed the story Monday night (Jan. 30). The false report
claimed McEntire "fell more than 100 feet to her death" while filming a movie in a remote area of Austria. In a statement
posted on her official website, a spokesperson said, "Contrary to ludicrous reports, Reba has not passed away, nor was she
even in Austria at the time of her alleged death. Global Associated News, who devised this latest celebrity hoax, is an entertainment
site that generates 'totally fake articles based on zero truth.' Reba is alive and well but would like to thank her loyal
fans for their concern." Global Associated News allows its website visitors to enter a celebrity's name to create a story
that is "dynamically generated using a generic 'template' and is not factual." The site has created other death hoax stories
mentioning actors Will Smith, Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy and golfer Tiger Woods.
