Dan Rather Confirms He's Alive After Trending on Twitter: Fans Rejoice

When a celebrity's name begins trending on Twitter, it sometimes means that they've died. So, after Dan Rather saw his name at the top of the Twitter charts this weekend, the journalist reassured his followers that he's still alive and kicking.

Rather worked for 24 years as a beloved anchor on CBS Evening News, and more recently, he's amassed a massive social media following thanks to his witty, no-holds-barred posts. The native Texan, who turns 91 on Halloween this year, set out on Sunday to correct any reports of his death.

"Yes, I'm in my 90s. Yes, I appear to be trending on Twitter. And yes, last time I checked, I'm still here," Rather tweeted. "Have a great Sunday everyone." The tweet gained more than 219,300 likes, 14,400 retweets and 1,000 quote tweets by Monday morning.

A short while later, he added another tweet to plug his current work.

"I appreciate all the well wishes. Not only am I still here, I am also still working. If you haven't checked out my Steady newsletter, you can find it here," Rather wrote, along with a link to his newsletter on Substack.

Rather's fans celebrated the fact that the news titan is alive and seemingly well.

Singer-actress Nancy Sinatra, daughter of legendary crooner Frank Sinatra, replied to wish Rather a "wonderful day."

"You are one of the good guys and we are all very happy—and grateful—you are still here," she continued. "I believe you give us hope and confidence in ourselves and in our country."

NPR TV critic Eric Deggans also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Dan. We can't help worrying," he tweeted, along with a smiley face.

Canadian children's folk singer Raffi Cavoukian replied to Rather in a tweet, writing: "we [love] your presence here" with a red heart emoji.

Dr. Jorge Caballero, co-founder of Coders Against COVID, joined many others in calling Rather a "national treasure."

And mercurial musician David Crosby posted a word of encouragement in a quote tweet: "Hang in there Dan."

Rather has previously remarked on the way that social media has shaped the news.

Back in 2012, the journalist claimed that he wasn't "an expert" on social media but noted that it has introduced "a deadline every nanosecond." He also argued that journalists now have much less time at their disposal "to reflect and to think things through."

Regardless of those concerns, Rather has attracted a sizable Twitter following thanks to his piping-hot political takes. Over the weekend, for instance, he poked fun at GOP U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker for apparently flashing a fake officer badge during a recent debate.

Rather wrote in the viral tweet: "Somewhere out there a kid got a police costume for Halloween that's missing a badge."

Newsweek has reached out to Rather for comment.