Charlie Hunnam Death Hoax: Former ‘Fifty Shades’ Actor Responds To Rumors [VIDEO]

Charlie Hunnam, the actor who almost played Christian Grey before dropping out, fell victim to an Internet death hoax in late June, with the phony story gaining steam again after the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trailer hit online Thursday. TMZ caught up with the “Sons of Anarchy” star and asked him about the false report.

The gossip site brought up Eddie Murphy, who has been erroneously reported dead multiple times, and asked the 34-year-old English actor if a death hoax had meant he “made it” in Hollywood. At first Hunnam laughed off the question and answered with a succinct “maybe” but then elaborated. “It’s unfortunate,” the actor continued. “Some of my friends called me in a panic. It’s kind of in bad taste to joke about people dying.”

Strangely, TMZ then asked what Hunnam would pick his fictional death to be. “I’m superstitious,” the actor said. “I’m not going to start predicting my own death.” But when pushed Hunnam came back with a cheeky response: “OK, how about dying of boredom during TMZ interviews?”

According to Media Mass, the rumor started on a Facebook through a page called “R.I.P Charlie Hunnam,” which attracted more than 1 million “likes.” “At about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday (July 27, 2014), our beloved actor Charlie Hunnam passed away,” the post read. “Charlie Hunnam was born on April 10, 1980 in Newcastle upon Tyne. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

The rumors gained steam on Monday through a Facebook link to “GOOGONLINE.COM,” which is presumably supposed to look like Google. When worried fans click on it brings you directly to a page that says, “You Got Owned.”

Since the rumors persisted, Hunnam's rep issued a comment on Monday, as quoted by Inquisitr: “[Charlie] joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.”

Luckily, the rumor has officially been debunked. To see Hunnam’s response to the death hoax, check out TMZ’s video, which has been posted below:

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