Why People Thought Jack Bruce’s Death was a Hoax

Cream bassist Jack Bruce has died at the age of 71. Some social media users claimed the rocker’s death is a hoax, but these claims are false.

Jack Bruce Dies

It was confirmed by multiple news sources that Jack Bruce had indeed died on October 25, 2014 at his home in Suffolk from liver disease.

Despite heavy sharing of legitimate news sources about Bruce’s passing, some internet users were quick to proclaim this news a hoax. Why would someone make such a claim?

Enter Mediamass…

Mediamass

This website is a fake news generator. The same Mediamass story which discusses a Jack Bruce death hoax is duplicated for dozens, if not hundreds, of celebrities. The same story exists for all major living celebrities and politicians on that website. The date of the article is changed every few days to make it appear current.

Be sure to see our full report on Mediamass, with recent examples of legitimate media being fooled by the site.

Death Hoax Before Actual Death?

The fake Mediamass “death hoax” story, with its date often listed within a few days of the celebrity’s actual death, has often led social media readers to incorrectly state that there had been a death hoax only days before the person’s actual death.

When news of a celebrity death breaks, some readers will turn to Google, type in that person’s name and the words “death hoax” (such as “Jack Bruce death hoax”) and the first result is often the fake Mediamass article. Once convinced that the celebrity has actually passed, however, some readers still believe the fake Mediamass death hoax story to be true, and discuss the “coincidence” that the death hoax occurred only days before the person passed. The “death hoax” article for Jack Bruce, or any other celebrity, has probably been on Mediamass for months or longer. There was no death hoax prior to Jack Bruce’s death.

Similar reports of “death hoaxes” have circulated upon the passing of such celebrities as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lou Reed, Harold Ramis, and others.

Bottom Line

Jack Bruce passed away on October 25, 2014, as confirmed by his publicist and multiple legitimate media sources. Reports of his death are not a hoax, nor was there a death hoax days before he died. The source of this confusion is the fake news generator Mediamass, which posts fake “death hoax” articles for hundreds of celebrities.