Fact Check

No, Drake Is Not Dead

#RIPDrake was the number one trend in the U.S. on the evening of Nov. 14, 2020, leaving Twitter users asking: "Is Drake dead?" It was a death hoax.

Published Nov. 14, 2020

Claim:
TMZ reported that Drake was involved in a drive-by shooting and died at the age of 34. Genius also reported that Drake's family confirmed his passing.

On the evening of Nov. 14, 2020, #RIPDrake rose to become the number one Twitter trend in the United States.

However, it was not true that the rapper had passed away. Twitter pinned a message at the top of the #RIPDrake trend informing viewers that it was a death hoax: "No, Drake is not dead. The rumors arose after users began to share photoshopped images of articles saying the rapper had died":

Some tweets shared screenshots of reports supposedly taken from TMZ and Genius. The fake TMZ headline read "Drake dead at 34 after a drive-by shooting." The fake Genius headline, which may have been shared more widely, read: "Drake's Family Releases Info Saying Drake Passed Away." A number of tweets spread the rumor, while others reacted after finding out it was not true:

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.

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