Jackie Chan's representatives have been forced to confirm that the actor is alive and well after he was the subject of an online death hoax.
Jackie Chan's people took to Twitter and Facebook today (29th March 2011) to deny reports that the legendary martial arts actor had died of a heart attack, reports the Toronto Sun.Chan's 'death' was reported on numerous social networking sites including Twitter, which led to thousands of fans tweeting messages of tribute. The report quoted a source from a Los Angeles hospital who said that the 56-year-old actor had died while promoting his latest flick 'Kung Fu Panda 2'. The report noted that his heavy schedule "was causing extreme stress and putting too much pressure on his heart". In an attempt to add authenticity to the hoax, it was stated that U.S. President Barack Obama had issued a statement with his condolences and that MTV were planning a special memorial to the fallen star. However, a representative for Chan took to Twitter today to deny the speculation, saying, "Jackie is alive and well. He did not suffer a heart attack and die". The message was followed by a post on the actor's Facebook page that read, "Jackie is fine and busy preparing for filming his next movie".
Jackie Chan is the latest celebrity to be killed off in an "online hoax". The likes of Justin Bieber, Jeff Goldblum and Gordon Lightfoot have also been rumoured to have died, when in fact they were alive and well.