Facebook says Adam Sandler died — real or another death hoax?
My mom forwarded me an R.I.P. Adam Sandler page with almost a million likes claiming he passed away on Monday (September 28). I have been burned by these celebrity death hoaxes before, and no major network is carrying it, which is usually the tell. He just turned 60. Meanwhile Grown Ups 1 and 2 hit Hulu tomorrow and Grown Ups 3 is filming in New Jersey, so he seems pretty alive and working. How do you actually verify these fast before forwarding to the whole family group chat?
2 answers
- Hoax. Verifiable in about 60 seconds.
Checklist: 1) No AP, Reuters, or network obituary — a star of his size dying would lead every newscast. 2) The circulating page uses the Mediamass death-hoax template, which itself marks the story false. 3) Facebook RIP pages with a million likes are a known engagement-farm pattern. 4) He is actively filming Grown Ups 3 in New Jersey and both Grown Ups movies land on Hulu tomorrow. Dead men do not shoot movies. Tell your mom before she tells the group chat.
- Reverse-image-search kills most of these in a minute.
Death hoaxes follow a pattern: a screenshot from a parody account, a stock photo, and zero wire-service coverage. Check AP and Reuters directly — if neither carries it, it did not happen. Then reverse-image-search the photo being shared; it almost always traces to something old and unrelated. Sandler's reps also shoot these down within hours. This one checked every box on the list.