Mr. Bean Is Not Dead: Viral Death Hoax Targets Actor Rowan Atkinson for Third Time

Rowan Atkinson is not dead, despite a death hoax that has circulated the Internet multiple times.

The latest viral death hoax centered on the 63-year-old Mr. Bean star was an attempt to spread a computer virus, according to website Hoax Slayer. The hoax claimed the actor died in a car crash while attempting to do a stunt.

The article first circulated and made headlines in July 2017 for claiming the actor died in a stunt. Atkinson was also victim to a second hoax in March 2017 that also falsely reported his death.

The latest also included a video with a play button that invited people to watch, which leads to a website asking people to share on Facebook and complete a security test, according to the site. But after sharing, the site instead offers a support phone number where scammers were allegedly trying to get the callers’ credit card information.

Atkinson is just the latest celebrity to fall victim to a death hoax. Jurassic Park actor Jeff Goldblum also had a fake report circulate in 2009 — and his mom believed it.

“Yes, someone had put online that I had fallen off a cliff in New Zealand,” Goldblum, 65, recalled. “Before we got the word out and I could call everybody, yes, my mom. She called and was like, ‘Jeffrey, are you alright? Are you alright?’ ”

He continued, “And then a friend of mine [who] very tearfully and hysterically left a message.”