Is William 'Refrigerator' Perry Dead? Former Chicago Bear Is Alive And Well After Twitter Death Hoax

Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman William “Refrigerator” Perry is alive and well, despite a Twitter rumor that proclaimed the football star’s death on Wednesday afternoon.

Early on Wednesday, Clemson sports fansite TigerNet reported that “the Fridge,” a Clemson alum, had passed away at the age of 50, kicking off hundreds of “in memoriam” tweets.

“RIP Clemson Legend William Refrigerator Perry! such a sad day for us!” wrote one user.

“William "The Refrigerator" Perry has reportedly passed away. One of my all time favorites. #RIPFridge,” wrote another.

Luckily, the rumors were completely untrue, and Perry is alive and well. Perry’s agent, Adam Plotkin, confirmed “the Fridge’s” good health to the Chicago Tribune soon after the rumors first broke.

“I know he is not dead,” Plotkin told the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday. “I talked to Michael Dean (Perry) a few minutes ago. And I know the Bears were down there interviewing Fridge on Saturday for coach (Mike) Ditka’s (jersey) retirement. But I did talk to Michael Dean, and he had gotten some calls, too, and Michael Dean said it was OK to confirm that Fridge is fine."

It appears that TigerNet had stumbled upon the obituary of another South Carolina man with the name William Perry and sprang into action without properly verifying the report. TigerNet has since apologized for the error and removed the offending posts.

"There were several reports on Twitter this morning of William Perry's passing, but it appears it was another William Perry that caused the confusion,” TigerNet said in a statement.

Now that we know "The Fridge" is okay, let's take a look back at his finest hour below.