Social Media Thinks Les Gold From 'Hardcore Pawn' Died — Let's Debunk the Rumors

Hardcore Pawn star Les Gold has been practiced in the niche art of pawnbroking for his entire life. According to Inc., it all started in his grandfather's loan office and store. Now Les "runs a 50,000-square-foot pawn emporium in a former bowling alley off of 8 Mile Road" in Detroit. His expertise and love of the pawn game eventually led to a television show.

For nine seasons, Les and his family starred in truTV's Hardcore Pawn where they showed the world what it was like to be purveyors of other people's property. Although the show was canceled in 2014, fans still keep up with the Gold family via social media, though sometimes that can take a dark turn. Recently, Les Gold's death was trending on Twitter, which was met with concern. Did Les Gold die? Here's what we know.

At nearly 74 years old, Les isn't a spring chicken, but that doesn't mean he is ready to hop on that boat and take that journey across the River Styx. However, Twitter recently blew up when "Les Gold dead" began trending, and some folks were naturally quite distressed. "Fark, Les Gold, the old fella from that pawnshop TV show, apparently passed away today," tweeted @LilSushiAU. One Twitter user put it best when they succinctly wrote, "RIP Les Gold. W--."

Apparently it all began with a TikTok slideshow featuring pictures of Les and his family, with the caption RIP Les Gold over the first image. But, why now? It doesn't help that Les isn't active on his social media accounts at all. His last tweet is from Nov. 29, 2019, where he let the world know his son Seth made their Thanksgiving turkey. Over on Instagram, things are even more quiet. Les hasn't dropped a post since April 18, 2015.

Despite the flimsy rumors of Les's death, he is still with us today. Seth hopped onto his own TikTok to assure everyone that his father is OK. "Hey everyone it's April 10, Monday, and there's a crazy rumor going around the internet right now and I think I just want to..." says Seth as the camera pans over to reveal Les. "Are you here?" asks Seth while repeatedly poking his father.

"As you can see, I'm not dead," says Les, laughing. "But I do appreciate all the comments being made, and how concerned they were that I did die." The comments were filled with relief. "We must protect this man at all costs," said TikTok user ambssbby3. Reclusive Nomad Gaming said, "This video makes me happy. Keep living the good life."

That good life includes heading down to American Jewelry and Loan, if you're in Detroit, where "you can actually see this guy," said Seth while poking his dad again.