On May 6, 2022, a rumor circulated on social media that Kevin Samuels, a controversial social media personality and relationship adviser known to some as "The Godfather," had died at age 56. The rumor originated with unsourced social media posts, so many people weren't sure whether it was factual.
While many people were skeptical about this news, it is true that Samuels died. The news was first reported by @BeBlackNoChaser on the afternoon of May 5:
Melanie King, a Canadian actress and friend of Samuels, posted photographs of Samuels to her Instagram page, along with a message saying that she was in "shock" from the reports. King also appeared on F.C. The Truth's YouTube channel and said the news of his death was "100%" true and that she had supposedly received confirmation from Samuels' family:
Marc Lamont Hill, a Temple University Professor and BET news correspondent, also confirmed the news via multiple sources:
Phillip Lewis, a senior editor at the Huffington Post, tweeted that he spoke with police in Atlanta to confirm some of the details of Samuels' death. According to Lewis, police were called to an apartment building at an unspecified time on May 5 after Samuels supposedly experienced "chest pain." Lewis said police told him that officials performed CPR on Samuels but he was unresponsive.
In a tweet reply, Lewis said that the "Kelvin" in the above-displayed screenshot referred to "Kevin," and that police confirmed that this was an accidental typo in their report.
Revolt Black News also reported on his death:
“REVOLT Black News” has confirmed from reliable sources that YouTube sensation and self-proclaimed relationship guru Kevin Samuels has passed away today (May 5).
He was known for dating advice and YouTube videos where he operated under the self-proclaimed title of an “image consultant.”
NBC News spoke to Samuels' mother, Beverly Samuels-Burch. While Burch confirmed the news, she also lamented the fact that news of her son's death spread widely on social media before the family had been notified.
"That was a terrible thing for social media to put that out. I didn't even know. I hadn't even been notified ... All I'm doing is requesting that people pray for us."
Samuels was a controversial figure on social media, as the relationship guru often expressed opinions that some listeners viewed as misogynistic. The Source reported that one of Samuels' recent statements struck a particularly powerful chord with some of his listeners:
In a recent episode of his podcast just last month, Samuels said, 'If you have made it to 35 and you are unmarried, you are a leftover woman, You are what is left. Men know that there is likely something wrong with you. Whether you want to hear it or not, I’m going to go there with you. I’m telling you the truth that you don’t want to hear. Men know that there is likely something wrong with you — that you can not be an adjustable six or higher — something is wrong with you. That’s where men automatically come with it. And here’s the thing — when you were between the ages of 22 and 25, and you didn’t want to settle — you were trying to get the CEO, the pilot, the investment banker, you were trying to get flewed [sic] out…'