Macaulay Culkin Death Hoax

News of actor Macaulay Culkin’s death spread quickly throughout the social media world early Saturday. It appears to be yet another celebrity death hoax.

2014 Death Hoax

Reports swirled overnight that the actor had been found dead in his apartment. Most users appeared to be referencing a page at “msnbc.website” which has no affiliation with MSNBC, and has no working front page. It looks similar to many of the fake news generators which have been responsible for celebrity death hoaxes in recent years.

The fake report reads:

Breaking News: Macaulay Culkin Found Dead at Age 34

Sources are reporting that Macaulay Culkin, best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, has been found dead at the age of 34.

Multiple unconfirmed reports say Culkin was found dead Friday afternoon in his Manhattan apartment after police responded to a wellness check requested by a family member.

At least one occupant of the Manhattan apartment confirmed the apartment belongs to Culkin but police have not confirmed the man’s identity at this time.

“The apartment was exceptionally clean and we found no signs of abuse or foul-play so we are depending on the coroner to make a final ruling of what happened here today,” said Det. James Patterson, of the Manhattan Police Department.

Born August 26, 1980, Culkin began acting at the tender age of four. At the height of his fame, he was regarded as the most successful child actor since Shirley Temple.

This story is still developing. More details will be made available once they emerge.

A death hoax also allegedly circulated regarding Culkin in April 2014, but it appears to have been fueled by the same source: Mediamass.

Mediamass

Some readers, including news organizations, have run across a fake Mediamass “death hoax” story and have included details from that in their reports. While the Mediamass story does report Culkin’s death rumors to be a hoax, it is a fabricated article which is duplicated almost verbatim for dozens of other celebrities – and has existed for at least two years. Read our full write-up of Mediamass here.

2012 Death Hoax

Our first Macaulay Culkin death hoax coverage came back in 2012. Below is the text of that death report which was published on September 9 of that year. 

It is likely that news of Culkin’s death was erroneously extracted from the Necropedia website, which anticipates celebrity deaths. Culkin’s name is atop the current list of predicted celebrity demises. His fake obit on the website is preceded by the statement: This is not a news article. (No one has died).

Ironically, just a day earlier saw reports of Culkin’s vastly improved appearance, such as this report which shows Culkin introducing an art display.

Bottom Line

There have been no reputable news reports of the death of Macaulay Culkin. The current round of death rumors originated from a fake news generator, which cited no sources and appears to be a form of click-bait.