The Latest Victim of an Online Death Hoax Is Jackie Chan, Who Is Still Alive
Published March 11 2022, 10:15 a.m. ET
Death hoaxes have become a remarkably common feature of existing online, and it can be difficult to sort out what's true and what isn't in the moment. Everyone from Ellen DeGeneres to Adam Sandler to Jennifer Lopez has been the victim of one of these hoaxes at one time or another, and now it seems the internet has claimed another victim: international icon and Hollywood megastar Jackie Chan.
Is Jackie Chan dead?
In spite of the rumors you may have seen circulating online, Jackie Chan is in fact very much alive. This is not even the first time that Jackie has been the subject of a death hoax, but there were nonetheless plenty of gullible people online who believed that the hoax was true. Hoaxes like this can spin out of control relatively quickly, even as some users on Twitter and other platforms try to keep them in check.
How did the Jackie Chan death hoax start?
The hoax around Jackie began after a black and white photo of the actor began circulating online. The photo was accompanied by the caption “Jackie Chan peacefully passed by a store in Koreatown, NYC today at 63."
This sparked an initial wave of mourning and panic before many users realized that no actual news outlets had reported on his death. Jackie has not addressed the rumors, but all indications suggest that he remains in good health.
Hoaxes can be pretty powerful, though, and a number of people fell for the news as it began to circulate.
“Jackie Chan died today????" one person wrote.
“I’m hearing that Jackie Chan died???" another added.
One person even posted an apology to their page, making it clear that they now knew that the whole thing was a hoax, and saying that they were sorry for misleading their followers.
Jackie still stars in a number of Chinese films.
Although Jackie is no longer the American movie star that he once was, he still keeps busy starring in films in his home country. In 2022, he has a number of movies coming out in China, including Ride On, Project X-Traction, and The Diary.
He may not be at the peak of his American fame anymore, but Jackie is still busy starring in movies.
Jackie was also featured in the recent Winter Olympics.
Even as China has become more and more controversial around the world, Jackie has maintained pretty close ties with his home country and was even selected to carry the Olympic torch along the Great Wall of China during the Winter Olympics in Beijing.
“I woke up at 4 a.m. This is my fourth Olympics. I’m very happy. I’m also cold!” he told reporters at the time.
It seems clear, then, that Jackie is very much alive and well, and he's just fallen victim to an online death hoax. Users should be careful to look for official sources like news outlets before sharing news of a person's death, and should not rely on images from other, usually unverified users.