Fact Check: No, Internet, Kurt Russell Is Not Dead

Nur Ibrahim
·2 min read
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Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons
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Claim:

Actor Kurt Russell died in August 2023.

Rating:

Rating: False
Rating: False

In August 2023, a viral YouTube video from the account “The Late Actor Today” claimed that Kurt Russell had died. The video did not give a reason for the alleged death, but an AI-generated voice claimed that the “scene of accident” was “under investigation.”

This claim was false and remains so as of this writing in late October 2023. There is no evidence that the actor died, not from his family or from his representatives.

Had the actor really died, reputable media outlets like The Associated Press would have published obituaries and memorialized his passing and legacy. That has not happened.

In October 2023, Apple TV released the trailer of a new television show starring Russell. Media coverage of the release had no accompanying news about the actor’s health.

An Oct. 24, 2023, article on MediaMass also drew attention to the alleged death, claiming that the death report was also a hoax, although MediaMass is not a reliable source of information. The outlet  describes its articles as "satire." A page on its website says, "The website mediamass.net is the medium of our satire to expose with humor, exaggeration and ridicule the contemporary mass production and mass consumption that we observe."

We've previously fact-checked false rumors about the deaths of celebrities, including actors Clint Eastwood, Josh Peck, Sam Elliot, and singer Celine Dion.

Sources:

Ibrahim, Nur. “Actor Josh Peck Died?” Snopes, 5 Sept. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/actor-josh-peck-died/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

“Kurt Russell Dead 2023 : Actor Killed by Celebrity Death Hoax.” Mediamass, 24 Oct. 2023, http://en.mediamass.net/people/kurt-russell/deathhoax.html. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

"Kurt Russell Died at the Age of 72 at His Home, the Cause of His Death Is Unknown." The Late Actor Today,  www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEuoYomqR1w. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

“Kurt Russell Needs Godzilla’s Help in ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters’ Trailer.” EW.Com, https://ew.com/tv/monarch-legacy-of-monsters-trailer-kurt-russell-wyatt-russell/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “No, Clint Eastwood Isn’t Dead.” Snopes, 18 Oct. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clint-eastwood-death-today/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “Sam Elliott: The Latest Celebrity Targeted by a Viral Death Hoax.” Snopes, 8 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/sam-elliott-death-hoax/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

Liles, Jordan. “Celine Dion Death Hoax Misleadingly Rehashes Old Health News.” Snopes, 1 Aug. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/celine-dion-health-death-hoax/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.

The Mediamass Project : Media Criticism through Satire. https://en.mediamass.net/blog/mediamass-project. Accessed 24 Oct. 2023.