In that race to be first on the page, sometimes the media accidentally speaks too soon in reporting the deaths of celebrities and public figures. And sometimes it’s not an accident, in which the media or the public is often duped due to ill-advised jokes, conspiracies or hoaxes, many of which went viral until people put the rumors to rest. From slips of the tongue to premature obituaries, here are some celebrities who were initially reported dead, even though at the time they were alive and well.
Tanya Roberts • The actress, who broke out in the 1985 Bond film “A View to a Kill” and later appeared in the sitcom “That ’70s Show,” was falsely reported as dead in January 2021 — with her publicist and manager confirming the news before retracting it a day later.