Big Ben disturbed by death hoax

Big Ben has become the victim of fake news, with a celebrity death hoax about the award-winning singer still doing its rounds. Social media are flooded with fake news stories and recurrent fake reports about celebrity deaths.Big Ben is not dead and he wasn't dead last week Saturday either. The Numba Numba hitmaker is just the latest local celebrity to be hit by a death hoax on the internet. Big Ben is not the first Namibian to have been pronounced dead by social media, despite being very alive and healthy.He told tjil he received the news when he was in Okakarara, from the head of his family. He was told he was in a car accident and he didn't survive.“He told me he received about 10 calls from people wanting to confirm the dreadful news. First I laughed it off, as I didn't know how to respond to it; I mean I'm dead. Then I started thinking about the people who called him and what they were going through and that's what disturbed me,” he said. The rumour is assumed to have started on WhatsApp and went as far as reaching the NBC Otjiherero radio station that later put a stop to it and cleared up the rumours. Big Ben said his management had to issue a statement on their social media platforms as well. “The painful thing is when your aunt calls you crying and asking why someone would wish something like this upon me; that is what really hurt. I am a big boy, I can handle it but the people around me got hit the most. The thing is you don't know who is doing this and why. What happened to our society and people thinking twice before doing this? It's because people today don't fear anyone and we lost our morals,” said the disappointed artist. The Dogg is another local artist who was the victim of a death hoax. International celebrities who have went through the same trauma include Sylvester Stallone, Jackie Chan and John Cena. Such hoaxes have been around for as long as the internet, and long before that. According to UK Independent, there are death hoaxes because people read them and they drive traffic to the news websites. There are other people who of course share the story without any clear incentive. Big Ben's death hoax spread quickly on Instagram. Big Ben urged the public not to be oblivious to things that are wrong, even if they happen elsewhere. He says there are many things that come with civilisation, including technological advancements, but hoaxes should not be one of those things. “I'm not ready to die, but I'm aware that no one will leave this earth alive. Why can't they pick on real celebrities man; I just want to make music.”June Shimuoshili

Big Ben disturbed by death hoax

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-05

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Big Ben disturbed by death hoax

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Namibian Sun 2025-05-05

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