The three words, Shaggy not dead, are not what you expect to hear after the three words, Shaggy is dead, but such is the world of gossip, rumours and hearsay we live in, death hoaxes are commonplace.

Shaggy - real name Orville Richard Burrell - is the latest celeb deemed just out of touch enough, yet a big enough name to warrant a fake death. TMZ broke the truth, saying, "Reggae pop star Shaggy was not stabbed in a bar fight this week ... and he sure as hell ain't dead despite Internet reports to the contrary ... this according to a living, breathing Shaggy."

A rep told the site, "[Shaggy] is like a cat with 9 lives ... but I can happily report that he's alive and kicking and in the same building as me right now as we speak."

Furthermore, a tweet from Shaggy's official Twitter feed, reads "RT @BET Don't believe everything you read on Twitter, Mr. #Boombastic @DiRealShaggy is still alive & kicking" Is that enough proof for you, or would you like a live performance to hit it home?

It seems as though starting rumours of a fellow human's death is now a valid way to get hits on a website. Here at Contact Music, we'd prefer to focus on the tail end of those rumours; the, 'they're alive' stories. Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Kris Jenner and Madonna have all been victims of death hoaxes in recent months.