With all the legitimate and unexpected celebrity deaths in the past few weeks, it seems that some people are beginning to post celebrity death hoaxes online. Claiming that yet another famous person has met an untimely end can be great for driving traffic to a website or starting a Twitter frenzy, even if it’s not remotely true. So what’s real and what’s fiction among celebrity death reports? Let’s break it down:

Michael Jackson: Deceased. Not a hoax

Miley Cyrus: Still alive. Death reports are a hoax

Farrah Fawcett: Deceased. Not a hoax

David Carradine: Deceased. Not a hoax

Louis Anderson: Still alive. Death reports are a hoax This hoax has been around for years!

Gale Storm: Deceased. Not a hoax

Britney Spears: Still alive. Death reports are a hoax

Ed McMahon: Deceased. Not a hoax

Billy Mays: Deceased. Not a hoax

We hope this has cleared up the rumors/questions about recent celebrity deaths. If you see a “tweet” about a celebrity death or receive a forwarded email about it, check news sites like www.CNN.com and hoax sites like www.snopes.com to verify before passing the news along.