Deryck Whibley - Whibley Laughs Off Death Rumours

DERYCK WHIBLEY is the latest celebrity to fall victim to an online death hoax - the rocker has slammed reports he passed away over the weekend (17-18Oct09), insisting he is "alive and well".

Rumours claiming the Sum 41 star had been found dead began circulating after messages appeared on social networking site Twitter.com.

It read, "Friends of DC music in Las Vegas have confirmed, to much much sorrow throughout our city that Deryck Whibley, who played so many early shows in DC's punk scene, has died today.

"He was found at 10.45am by his girlfriend Hanna Beth Merjos. Details to come, we are all still reeling."

But Whibley's representative has slammed the rumours, stating Whibley is "very much alive and well".

Blogger Andrew Bucket confirmed he made up the story to discover how quickly a rumour could circulate online.

It is the latest of a series of online hoaxes - Zach Braff, George Clooney and Jeff Goldblum have all been victims of false death reports.