'Phil Collins Dead' Becomes Latest Celebrity Death Hoax Rumor

The claimed demise of Phil Collins is the latest celebrity death hoax to hit the Internet after a website that falsely reported the death of Vanilla Ice last week wrote the Genesis frontman died in a one-car accident Tuesday, misleading readers before saying in effect: Had you fooled, sucker!

Global Associated News, the same outlet that erroneously killed rapper Vanilla Ice last week, wrote the story.

All signs pointed to the report of Phil Collins' death as a hoax. The link used by Global Associated News is the URL phil.collins.swellserver.com and the website cites an outlet called Local Team News 9 as its source.

A photo purportedly showing Phil Collins' overturned car should be viewed with skepticism. If you click on the picture, a larger version of the photo pops up along with the caption photo of David Guetta Car Flipped, referring to entertainer David Guetta, who is also alive and well.

Finally, the whole thing is given away in a disclaimer on the bottom of the Global Associated News website:

FAKE... THIS STORY IS 100% FAKE! this is an entertainment website, and this is a totally fake article based on zero truth and is a complete work of fiction for entertainment purposes! this story was dynamically generated using a generic 'template' and is not factual. Any reference to specific individuals has been 100% fabricated by web site visitors who have created fake stories by entering a name into a blank 'non-specific' template for the purpose of entertainment.

According to Global Associated News, Collins died in a single vehicle crash on Route 80 between Morristown and Roswell [where that is is not explained]. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics responding to the vehicle accident and was identified by photo ID found on his body. Alcohol and drugs do not appear to have been a factor in this accident.

Highway Safety Investigators have told reporters that Phil Collins lost control while driving a friend's vehicle on Interstate 80 and rolled the vehicle several times killing him instantly. The vehicle was believed to have been traveling at approximately 95 miles per hour in a 55mph zone at the time of the accident.

Witnesses have stated that Phil Collins's car crossed the double lines several times prior to the accident and hit the center lane divider causing the vehicle to flip and roll.

Some Twitter users were taken in, while others weren't convinced.

R.I.P phil Collins .....great musician!!!!! wrote user @chunkp2011.

RIP Phil Collins, you will be missed, said user @bluejeans976.

Omg I've just read that Phil Collins has died in a car crash???? wrote user @chelleX30.

Did Phil Collins die? I am getting yes and no's. #confused, asked user Madeline Harred.

Other users dismissed the story from the start.

A quick bit of research would appear to reveal that the Phil Collins death rumour is utter bollocks, wrote Gamel Amwel Jones.

Phil Collins has yet to respond to the hoax on Twitter. He used the micro-blogging site to clear up rumors that he was retiring back in March because of bad reviews and unfavorable treatment from the press.

Clearing up some nonsense, he tweeted March 9, along with a link explaining why he was retiring. Collins admitted saying some of those things in jest that did not come out the right way in print.

[T]he result is that I have ended up sounding like a tormented weirdo who thinks he was at the Alamo in another life, who feels very sorry for himself, and is retiring hurt because of the bad press over the years, the Genesis frontman wrote. None of this is true.