Please note that I'm not saying he isn't dead, or even hypothesizing it. I think that the reports on DU are probably accurate, and the poor guy has moved on to whatever comes next. May he rest in peace.
But since you mention it, no, an article in the Seattle Weekly is not "good enough". They don't have to be "in on" anything, they could just be credulous fools... which, in fact, they are. As I said earlier in this thread, if the Weekly reported that the sun would rise tomorrow, I'd be sure to pack a flashlight.