Ellen DeGeneres ran errands in Montecito, California, on Wednesday (Picture: BACKGRID)
Ellen DeGeneres was seen running errands in California on Wednesday hours after a vile rumour the 65-year-old TV icon had died started trending on social media.
There has been no shortage of bizarre celebrity death hoaxes this summer.
This month alone, a statement was posted on teenage rapper Lil Tay’s social media account announcing that she and her brother had died, before a second statement was shared a day later saying the 14-year-old was in fact alive and her account had been hacked.
Then, on Monday, news broke that 36-year-old The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter had died, only for Josh to share a video to his social media account less than 24 hours later explaining that his page was ‘hacked’ with a ‘cruel joke’.
Meanwhile, the Sun reported midweek that ‘Ellen Degeneres dead’ was trending on social media, sending fans into panic mode.
According to the outlet, the hoax started earlier this month and picked up pace thanks to posts from fake news websites and social media accounts.
Ellen was photographed in Montecito on Wednesday (Picture: BACKGRID)
The TV star hopped into her car after stopping at a convenience store (Picture: BACKGRID)
But thankfully, the rumour was exactly that – hearsay.
Ellen was photographed in Montecito on Wednesday hopping into her car after stopping at a convenience store.
Responding to reports he’d died earlier this week, TV star Josh said on social media: ‘As you can see, I am alive and well.
‘My account was hacked, for the last 24 hours I have been trying desperately to get into it.’
On Monday, news broke that 36-year-old The Bachelorette star Josh Seiter had died (Picture: Instagram)
He went on: ‘Somebody was playing a cruel joke and mocking my mental illness, and the struggles I’ve gone through with depression and suicide attempts.
‘I’m sorry for all the pain they caused when they made that post.’
Meanwhile, a statement shared with TMZ after it was announced Lil Tay was dead read: ‘I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I’m completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say.’
Earlier this month, a statement was posted on teenage rapper Lil Tay’s social media account announcing that she and her brother had died (Picture: Instagram)
She added: ‘It’s been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess.
‘My Instagram account was compromised by a third party and used to spread jarring misinformation and rumours regarding me, to the point that even my name was wrong. My legal name is Tay Tian, not “Claire Hope”.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Ellen’s reps for comment.
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Ellen has been seen in California.