Google Keeps Mistakenly Claiming Celebrities Are Dead

Google has incorrectly claimed a celebrity has died—and not for the first time this week.

Rapper Bia is the second famous face to be declared dead by the search engine, despite posting to her social media channels.

According to Google's knowledge graph—the snippet of information that sits at the top of the page, above the search results—she passed away in New York on December 10.

However, the 32-year-old hip-hop star posted to her social media accounts on December 11, a day after she supposedly met her end. Newsweek has reached out to Bia for comment via email.

Still, the fake news shook Bia's fanbase, with music lovers sharing their panicked reactions to X.

"BIA IS DEAD ?? What is Google doing," asked @Minajupdates on X—the social network formerly known as Twitter—along with a screenshot of Bia's Google search results.

"WHAT THE HELL," said Brit.

"On google they said you died today sis wtf!!!," wrote @Aye_YahYah, tagging Bia in the post, while @AllThingsNicki0 asked the star: "@BIABIA Is you okay baby ???"

"Neither eminem nor bia dead," commented Karl. "Anyone who actually does die no one's gonna believe it lmao."

On Monday, a Google error terrified Eminem fans, with the reports that the rapper had passed away.

According to the search engine, the Grammy winner—real name Marshall Mathers III—had died in Madison, Wisconsin, on December 10. However, Eminem is still alive and well, with the death rumors a hoax.

A practical joker had amended the music icon's Wikipedia page, which also updated his status on Google. It appears the same technique was used to amend Bia's search results, although the significance of both rappers "dying" on December 10 is unknown.

Bia—whose real name is Bianca Miquela Landrau—posted to TikTok on Monday to dispel the rumors. A short video shows the VMA nominee dancing in her car to a AB Dankoo's "I'm Still Alive," alongside a screen grab of the false Google search results.

"IM STILL ALIVE!" she captioned the clip. "S***** ME!!!!"

Fans were relieved to see the "London" songstress is still living and breathing, with user Rafa commenting: "Thank God."

"I got worried for a sec," wrote Runway.

Bia also posted to X, telling her 364,000 followers: "first of all I'm immortal sooo."

A representative for Google told Newsweek that the search engine's knowledge graphs are influenced by a variety of sources across the web—including Wikipedia.

Google also has systems that detect if a source has been vandalized, but sometimes, things slip through the cracks. According to the spokesperson, when Google is informed of incorrect data in its knowledge graphs, it works quickly to correct the error.

Celebrity death hoaxes and conspiracy theories are nothing new. Prior to the Wikipedia prank, Eminem had already experienced at least two death hoaxes in his three-decade career.

In 2020, a Twitter used claimed he'd murdered the Missouri-native, with the joker's account suspended. In 2006, a bizarre conspiracy theory began to circle that Eminem was killed in a car crash and replaced by an android body double, stemming from an article featured on Spanish website La Guía Del Varón at the time.

Other public figures to recently get the death hoax treatment include Donald Trump, Joe Rogan and Vladimir Putin.

The social media accounts of Donald Trump Jr.—the former president's oldest child—were reportedly hacked in September. A phony death announcement was shared to the 45-year-old's X account, claiming that his father had passed away.

"I'm sad to announce, my father Donald Trump has passed away. I will be running for president in 2024," the post claimed, before being removed.

UFC pundit Joe Rogan was targeted by a prankster in April 2022. An X account called Joe Rogan Headquarters (@joerogannhq) claimed that the 56-year-old podcaster had "died peacefully in his home."

The account promised to "provide more details as they arrive, with respect to his family's wishes." However, the post was a sham, with the conservative commentator the subject of several death hoaxes in recent years.

In March, mourners flocked to a bogus memoriam page titled "R.I.P. Nick Cannon," which claimed that the rapper and TV host had passed away. He casually debunked the rumors on X.

"They been trying to kill me off for years!!!" the 43-year-old Cannon joked. "What else you got!?"

In October, rumors that Putin had suffered a cardiac arrest and died began to spread online. Despite no supporting evidence, the story was reported by multiple Telegram channels.

Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Russian officials had purposefully circulated fake rumors of the Putin's death to see how the public would respond, as part of Russia's misinformation "playbook."