Johnny Depp is Not Dead

GossipCop, Sunday, January 24, 2010, 10:07am (PST)

Johnny Depp is not dead.

Despite another disgusting (and recycled) death hoax to which we'd rather not link, the actor is alive and well.

These Internet-fueled rumors are nothing new, as Gossip Cop visitors know. In recent months, fans of Stephenie Meyer, Kanye West, Zach Braff, Matt Damon, and many others have been alarmed after seeing fabricated headlines purporting death.

RELATED: Check out photos of Johnny Depp

Often it's been a case of a new name being plugged into old, wrong circumstances. Natalie Portman, George Clooney, and Jeff Goldblum all supposedly "died"; in the exact same New Zealand accident.

Sometimes it's less a hoax than an instance of astonishingly irresponsible blogging.

But whatever the origins, once these reprehensible rumors go online, it doesn't take long for misinformation to be spread worldwide, causing anxiety among fans and horror for friends and family.

RELATED VIDEO: See the new "Alice in Wonderland" trailer

Johnny Depp is alive.

He was not in a fatal car crash, as hoaxers borrowing a faked CNN story from 2004 would have you believe.

As we write, "RIP Johnny Depp"; is trending on Twitter. As incredibly vital as tools like Twitter are in connecting people when needed (like when real catastrophe struck in Haiti), they can also be disturbingly efficient vehicles for misinformation when it comes to hoaxes like this.

RELATED: Check out Johnny's Sexiest Vanity Fair Covers

The actor's fans have bombarded Gossip Cop with questions about his well being.

Thankfully, he is well.

Help spread the word; and the truth.

Follow @GossipCop on Twitter for accurate celebrity news.