Is Reese Witherspoon Dead? Stabbing Death Rumors Sweep Twitter

The Internet erupted Wednesday with rumors that actress Reese Witherspoon was dead after being stabbed, but it appears that the reports of her death were greatly exaggerated.

There were actually two false death claims on Wednesday, as Twitter exploded with reports that she was stabbed, and that she died of natural causes. It is likely that the reason the blond starlet was singled out for threats today is the fact that her name has been trending throughout the Internet all day, as buzz builds for her upcoming romantic comedy, "The Beard."

Twitter messages ran the gamut as the rumor spread, with many people expressing shock and sadness over Reese Witherspoon's supposed death.

For instance, Twitter user @ilovetea_x tweeted the following Wednesday evening: "can't believe reese witherspoon is actually dead, my god.."

But not everyone was fooled. A number of Twitter users instead questioned the rumor, which does not seem to have any basis in reality.

Twitter user @edensavyex tweeted the following Wednesday evening: "is reese witherspoon dead ?!?!"

That post suggests a true concern about the beloved actress of "Walk the Line" and "Legally Blonde" fame, but also offers a healthy serving of doubt, as you really can't be,lieve everything you read on the Internet, especially if you're getting your information from Twitter or other open social media sites.

And some have been fooled too many times by Twitter death hoaxes, and immediately deemed the claims of Reese Witherspoon's passing to be straight-up lies, as did Twitter user @L4UR4DRUMMOND, who offered up the following tweet: "reese witherspoon ain't dead you weirdos."

So there you have it, yet another celebrity death hoax hits Twitter, and this time it was aimed directly at Reese Witherspoon, on a day filled with conversation about her upcoming role in "The Beard."

It's not a huge shock that someone like her could be the target of such irresponsible rumors, however, as many other celebrities have been hit with similar rumors

Remy Ma, Eddie Murphy, Kanye West, Jeff Goldblum, Britney Spears, Morgan Freeman, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama, Kim Jong-Un, Phil Collins, Gotye, Pitbull, Usher, Robin Williams, Keke Palmer, Patrick Dempsey, Chingy, Paul McCartney, Rowan Atkinson, Madonna, Soulja Boy, Adele, Demi Moore, Jon Bon Jovi, Cher, Tony Danza, Jackie Chan, Hugh Hefner, Mick Jagger, and numerous other celebrities have found themselves at the mercy of Internet pranksters who claimed that they were dead on Twitter, usually by getting a tweet starting with "R.I.P." or "RIP" and a celeb's name to go viral on social media sites, especiallyTwitter.