http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/Hoaxipedia/Celebrity_Death_Hoaxes/
>>A death hoax involves falsely reporting the death of someone still living. This kind of hoax has been a favorite of pranksters for centuries. Early practitioners of it included Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Swift.
The most famous death hoax of all time was the “Paul is dead” rumor of 1968, in which the claim that Paul McCartney of the Beatles had died swept throughout America and Great Britain.
In recent years, hoaxes alleging that various celebrities have died have become a frequent fixture in the news. Much of the reason for the popularity of this hoax can be attributed to the internet, which has made such hoaxes easier to perpetrate. A would-be hoaxer simply has to produce an email or webpage that imitates the look of a credible news source. Concerned fans will then forward the fake news story to their friends, inadvertently giving the hoax greater visibility.
(Some death hoaxes):
Paris Hilton 2007
Will Ferrell 2006
Eminem 2000 (car crash)
Lou Reed 2001 (died of overdose. Oops! Wrong.)
Margaret Thatcher (”Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. A fake news story (disguised as a page from the Guardian) reported the passing of the Iron Lady. As a tribute to her, Stephen Hawking was supposedly going to speak in her voice.”)