Claim: A star actor was killed in a snowboarding accident in Switzerland.
Example:[Collected on the Internet, August 2011]
Actor - Adam Sandler Dies In Snowboard Accident
THIS STORY IS STILL DEVELOPING...
Actor Adam Sandler is reported to have died shortly after a snowboard accident earlier today - August 3, 2011.
The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Adam Sandler lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed.
Adam Sandler was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death.
Additional details and information will be updated as it becomes available. This story is still developing.
About Zermatt Ski Resort - While neighboring Gstaad is one of the world's top resorts with its three five-star hotels and St. Moritz is more popular, most rank Zermatt as Switzerland's top resort. A remarkably peaceful getaway, the village is peaceful thanks to its car-free environment. Amazingly picturesque, Zermatt holds the world's second biggest lift-served vertical drop and receives huge snowfalls thanks to its altitude.
Origins:This item about the accidental death of a star actor who met his maker while snowboarding in Switzerland is yet another Internet-spread celebrity death hoax. It originated with a prank web site that allows users to enter names which are slapped into phony news stories generated from templates. Each of these generated stories bears the impressive-sounding imprimatur Global Associated News, with the day's current date slapping into place.
The same Adam Sandler death hoax was issued by that site in December 2010 and March 2011. That same entity has also issued "star actor snowboarding death" stories about Jim Carrey, Avril Lavigne, Eddie Murphy, Charlie Sheen, Christian Slater, Jaden Smith, and Owen Wilson. It also issued "cliff death" hoaxes about Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, and George Clooney.
As to how to easily tell fake from real, given the media frenzy attendant to celebrity demises, it's always a safe bet that if the TV and the radio aren't screaming the news and reputable media outlets like CNN and Associated Press aren't reporting the details of the what, when, where and how of a famous person's grim reapering, you're looking at a hoax.
