Dolly Parton Slams AI Photo of Reba McEntire at Her “Deathbed”

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Dolly Parton is beggin’ you: Please don’t take her death hoax seriously.

Dolly Parton recently spoke out about false reports of her failing health that have been spreading online. She specifically mentioned a fake, AI-created photo showing country singer Reba McEntire supposedly on her deathbed.

Dolly Parton shared a video on social media on October 8th, excitedly asking if anyone had seen an AI-generated image featuring her and Reba McEntire. She added with a laugh, “Oh lordy.”

Dolly Parton, 79, playfully said she and Reba McEntire, 70, joked about looking like they should be buried, but she quickly stressed that the digitally created image didn’t reflect reality at all.

The Grammy-winning artist said, “If I were actually on my deathbed, I doubt Reba would be the one there. She’d probably visit me while I was still feeling okay.”

Dolly recently had to reschedule some concerts, but she’s doing well now. She took a short break after the passing of her husband, Carl Dean, on March 3rd, and is now back to work.

“People seem to think I’m much sicker than I actually am—do I look sick to you?” she asked with a touch of humor. “When my husband, Carl, was ill, it was a long and difficult time. After he passed away, I neglected my own health and let things slide that I should have addressed.”

Dolly explained that after finally getting to the doctor, they identified a few health issues that needed attention. It wasn’t anything serious, but she did have to reschedule some commitments to stay closer to home.

With many rumors circulating about her health, the star of *9 to 5* wanted to clarify that she is not seriously ill.

Dolly Parton, whose sisters Freida and Stella have also spoken about her well-being recently, shared that she’s been busy filming commercials for the Grand Ole Opry.

I’m dressed a little like a cowgirl, as you can see in this video. I just wanted to reassure everyone who’s been worried – and I really do appreciate your concern and prayers. As a person of faith, I always welcome and need prayers for all aspects of my life.

For more celebrities who were caught up in bogus death hoaxes, read on.

As a longtime fan, it was so upsetting to learn about the rumors surrounding Steve from *Blues Clues*. Apparently, he has no idea where they even started! Even while he was *on* the show, people were falsely claiming he’d passed away. He recently shared on Rainn Wilson’s *Soul Bloom* podcast just how much this hoax affected his mental health – and he was already dealing with clinical depression at the time. He said when ‘a gazillion people you’ve never met’ tell you you’re dead, it’s incredibly damaging, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It’s been going on for years, even after he left the show in the early 2000s – he said people would actually *tell* him they thought he was dead! It’s just awful to think about, and I’m so glad he’s speaking out about it.

Lil Tay recently clarified that reports of her and her brother’s deaths were false, explaining her Instagram account had been hacked. She told TMZ she and her brother are safe, but she’s deeply upset and trying to process the situation. She described the last 24 hours as traumatic, filled with worried calls from family and friends while she worked to resolve the issue.

Queen Elizabeth II has passed away, but news of her death briefly surfaced months earlier due to a false report. In September 2022, Hollywood Unlocked mistakenly announced she had died. Jason Lee, the outlet’s CEO, explained to BuzzFeed News that he felt very certain about the information at the time. He stated he would publicly admit his mistake if it proved to be false, and move on from the story.

Who is behind these fake stories? Over the years, rapper Eminem has been the target of numerous false reports claiming he has died. The latest one began in August 2023 with a viral post on Facebook. A representative for Eminem confirmed to The Sun that he is, in fact, still alive and well, and urged people to stop spreading false information online. This hoax is part of a long history of similar false reports about celebrities.

In 2014, after false reports of his death in a car crash circulated online, Seinfeld actor used Twitter to let fans know he was still alive and healthy.

Let me tell you, as someone who’s seen a lot in the public eye, false rumors can be incredibly upsetting. Back in 2013, I was shocked to discover people were spreading a completely made-up story about me dying in a snowboarding accident! It was awful. I had family and friends calling me in tears, worried about whether I was even still alive. I immediately took to Twitter to set the record straight – I was very much alive and well! Honestly, it’s just disturbing when people think it’s okay to create and spread such hurtful lies.

 
 
 

A false report circulated on Facebook, claiming Jim Carrey had died in a plane crash in 2012. However, his representative confirmed to TopMob News that the actor, known for *The Mask*, is alive and well.

The country singer quickly debunked rumors of her death, which had spread online in 2012. She tweeted a message clarifying that she was not filming a movie in Austria, hadn’t fallen off a mountain, and was, in fact, very much alive and well!

 

To dispel rumors that he’d died of a heart attack in 2011, Jon Bon Jovi shared a photo with the current date, jokingly writing, “Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey! Just to confirm, Jon is alive and doing well.”

 

The rapper addressed rumors about her death in 2011 with a tweet saying she was doing well and asked people to enjoy their evening. The following day, she added that it was sad someone would create such a hurtful rumor, but it motivated her to work even harder and prove them wrong.

Following false reports of a snowboarding accident in 2011, the actor’s representative confirmed to TopMob that he was actually working on a film set in Atlanta.

In 2011, a false rumor spread online that Jackie Chan, star of *Rush Hour*, had died. This started when someone created a Facebook page titled “R.I.P. Jackie Chan.” Sadly, this wasn’t the first time Chan had been the subject of a death hoax, as similar rumors circulated earlier that same year.

When rumors spread in 2011 that he had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand and died, the actor used Twitter to debunk them. He posted, “I’d like to meet whoever is spreading these rumors about my death and let them feel what a dead man’s foot feels like!”

Back in 2009, false rumors circulated online claiming the rapper had died in a car accident, causing the hashtag “RIP Kanye West” to become popular on Twitter. However, his then-girlfriend, Amber Rose, quickly clarified the situation, tweeting that the rumors were untrue and not funny.

After incorrect reports surfaced in 2009 claiming the *Scrubs* star had passed away, Zach Braff created a video to assure everyone he was still alive. In the video, he jokingly explained he was on set filming the opening sequence for a new season of *Scrubs*, and quipped that it felt a bit like dying, making the initial report ‘semi-accurate.’ He involved his *Scrubs* co-star, Donald Faison, in the playful hoax.

Zach shared that he’s asked a friend to do something special if he passes away: he wants the friend to sing an R&B rendition of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ at his funeral.

That year, false rumors spread that the Academy Award-winning actor had gone missing while camping in the Palo Verde Mountains of California. Matt Damon quickly dismissed the claims, joking about them during an appearance on *The Late Show With David Letterman*. According to TMZ, he said, “I haven’t heard about it, but I’m feeling great.”

Back in 2009, someone hacked Britney Spears’ TwitPic account and posted a message saying “sad day.” Shortly after, another post clarified that Britney’s Twitter had been compromised and that the previous message wasn’t true. It assured fans she was doing well and relaxing at home.

There’s a saying that bad news comes in threes, and when rumors spread online that Jeff Goldblum had died on the same day as Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, fans were understandably worried. However, Goldblum quickly appeared on *The Colbert Report* to prove the story was false. He joked, “No one will miss Jeff Goldblum more than me. He was not only a friend and a mentor, but he was also, um, me.”

Despite rumors in 2010 that he had fallen from the Kauri Cliffs, the *Top Gun* actor was actually in New York City at the time.

A representative for Tom Cruise told TopMob News that the claims were false. They stated that Cruise was not in New Zealand, either currently or recently, and dismissed the reports as inaccurate and stemming from unreliable online sources.

Rumors started spreading quickly and intensely. Throughout the latter part of 2008, Miley Cyrus had to repeatedly deny false stories, including one about a car accident and another claiming she had died in a drunk driving incident. Thankfully, none of it was true, and she continues to be herself.

Back in 2007, someone falsely reported on Wikipedia that comedian Sinbad, whose full name is David Adkins, had passed away from a heart attack. Wikipedia quickly acknowledged it was vandalism. A representative for Sinbad confirmed to Reuters that he was, in fact, alive and well, and enjoying life.

Will Ferrell didn’t worry much when a false rumor spread in 2006 claiming he had died in a paragliding accident.

Ferrell’s publicist told TopMob in an email that they became aware of the story this morning and immediately took action. They determined it was a fake and didn’t bother trying to find where it originated.

In 2001, a hoax started by some Texas DJs briefly caused widespread alarm, falsely reporting that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had been in a car accident. The report claimed Timberlake was in a coma and Spears had died. However, their representatives quickly denied the story, stating that both singers were perfectly healthy. A label representative told TopMob, “There is no truth to the rumor circulating around the world that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were involved in a car accident… Spears and Timberlake are in great health.”

A popular conspiracy theory alleges that Paul McCartney died in 1966 and was secretly replaced by a double. Paul has repeatedly dismissed this rumor, famously even addressing it on *Saturday Night Live*. In a sketch with the late comedian Chris Farley, Farley jokingly questioned Paul about the hoax, to which Paul responded with a playful, “Yeah, I wasn’t really dead.”

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2025-10-08 23:50