Despite the dinnertime shrieks of “OMG Zach Braff killed himself! I read it on Twitter!” that you might have heard, the actor is very much alive and well! Reports that the “Scrubs” actor had died of an apparent suicide have been spreading like wild fires yesterday, with the news even being reported on a fake CNN site and becoming a top trending topic on Twitter. The headline of the article said “Beloved Scrubs Actor Found Dead In His Home” and claimed he was found with an empty pill bottle by his side. The news of Braff’s so-called death was first reported on the hoax CNN page, which actually looked quite genuine, while another article appeared claiming that Braff had died while shooting a film in New Zealand. Thankfully, these turned out to be not true. However, if you did a little browsing on the fake CNN page it clearly gave away the hoax – all of the “top stories” on the right hand side were from 2007. Braff posted a video on Monday to his personal Facebook page, disputing the claim and calling out the person behind it.

Per PopEater:

“There was a big Internet rumor today that I was dead … that I OD’d on some pills. It’s not the case, I’m here at ‘Scrubs’ shooting the new ‘Scrubs’ title sequence, which is a little bit like dying, so I guess that was semi-accurate. A couple of inaccuracies you should have noticed when you saw the thing, if you believed it — the dude said I was found in my 32,000 square foot estate in Beverly Hills – but I’m not Oprah! That’s a big house! I just want to say to the douchebag who started this: You win my first ever douche of the day award for making my mom upset!”

Chris Laganella of New Jersey seems to be the lucky winner of that award. He has since removed the fake CNN page post and replaced it with an apology and explanation that I don’t quite understand. Laganella writes that he made the spoof page in 2007 for friends and fellow fans of “Scrubs,” but somehow it was made public without his knowledge.

Per ChrisBox:

“So let’s just clear some stuff up. I did not make this page to intentionally fool everyone on the internet. I didn’t expect it to even be made public. Ever. I’m sorry if I scared everyone out there. Zach, sorry if you got offended by me posting a fake suicide about you on the internet. Your 32,000 square foot house would be pretty empty without you. Thanks for (apparently) taking it lightly, since I haven’t gotten a letter about a lawsuit yet. Just so you know, I’m a huge fan; that’s the only reason I made this page, believe it or not. Also, sorry for upsetting your mother.”

There’s a new one of these fake troll-inspired death rumors every week. I think only school kids are fooled by it any more. Sometimes it’s the oddest celebs, which the pranksters do on purpose to make it more believable. While we’ve debunked this one, its only a matter of time before the next one pops up.

[Keep Clicking Thumbnails for a Larger Image]

Images Via: wenn.com