Dear Urban Legends:
We read on the Internet on Sunday, December 17 that Slim Shady, a.k.a. Eminem, died in a car crash at 2:30 in the morning. According to this article he was on his way to a late-night party and was drunk and high on drugs. We can't seem to locate the site. Can you find out if this is true or not?
We read on the Internet on Sunday, December 17 that Slim Shady, a.k.a. Eminem, died in a car crash at 2:30 in the morning. According to this article he was on his way to a late-night party and was drunk and high on drugs. We can't seem to locate the site. Can you find out if this is true or not?
Dear Reader:
There's a good reason you can't find the Web page — it has already been deleted. Another reader sent me the URL shortly before I received your message, but when I tried to access the page, which I'm told was a decent spoof of CNN's online news site, it was gone.
The article was also posted on a bogus MTV Web page, deleted as well. Emails containing the URLs and the headline "Rapper Eminem Dies in Car Accident" began circulating among AOL users on Saturday; by Sunday the pages were nowhere to be found.
Here, from a newsgroup posting, is the full text attributed to CNN:
December 15, 2000
Web posted at 6:12 a.m. EST (0012 GMT)
Rapper "Eminem" Dies in Car Accident.
Multi-platinum artist Marshall Mathers, known by the stage name "Eminem", was killed at 2:30AM EST while driving a rental car on his way to a late-night party.
Mathers, who authorities believe was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was behind the wheel of a Saturn coupe that witnesses say swerved to avoid a slow moving vehicle, then lost control and slammed into a grove of trees.
The car was crumpled by the impact, making extraction of Mather's body very difficult. He was declared dead on the scene by paramedics who arriced a short time later.
Authorities would not comment on details surrounding the accident other than to confirm the identity of the victim.
Mathers was 26.
Clearly a hoax. No legitimate news sources have reported the death of Marshall Mathers. The following denial was posted on Eminem's official Web site:
"Despite sick-minded ne'er do-well attempts to create a state of panic in this grand country by virtue of a well-crafted CNN.com fake news story prank, our beloved Slim Shady is alive and well," the statement reads. "Marshall is alive and at home with his family for the holidays in Detroit. And he wishes all of you shady holidays and a dirty new year."
Here, from a newsgroup posting, is the full text attributed to CNN:
December 15, 2000
Web posted at 6:12 a.m. EST (0012 GMT)
Rapper "Eminem" Dies in Car Accident.
Multi-platinum artist Marshall Mathers, known by the stage name "Eminem", was killed at 2:30AM EST while driving a rental car on his way to a late-night party.
Mathers, who authorities believe was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, was behind the wheel of a Saturn coupe that witnesses say swerved to avoid a slow moving vehicle, then lost control and slammed into a grove of trees.
The car was crumpled by the impact, making extraction of Mather's body very difficult. He was declared dead on the scene by paramedics who arriced a short time later.
Authorities would not comment on details surrounding the accident other than to confirm the identity of the victim.
Mathers was 26.
Clearly a hoax. No legitimate news sources have reported the death of Marshall Mathers. The following denial was posted on Eminem's official Web site:
"Despite sick-minded ne'er do-well attempts to create a state of panic in this grand country by virtue of a well-crafted CNN.com fake news story prank, our beloved Slim Shady is alive and well," the statement reads. "Marshall is alive and at home with his family for the holidays in Detroit. And he wishes all of you shady holidays and a dirty new year."
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