Chumlee of 'Pawn Stars' Dead? Hoax and Rumors Debunked
Chumlee of "Pawn Stars" was reported as dead by various news outlets recently despite the 31-year-old losing a substantial amount of weight recently. Twitter, Facebook and various other outlets were besieged with reports of the reality star's passing from heart problems, but it turns out the reports were false all along.
The death of Austin "Chumlee" Russell, a favorite on the History channel's hit show "Pawn Stars," seemed to have been highly exaggerated. The hoax was first started by eBuzzd, a fake news website. The rumors about Chumlee's death were so pervasive that the reality stars themselves had to address them personally.
"May we live long, Rich forever," Chumlee tweeted Wednesday.
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His co-star on the show Rick Harrison joined him in refuting the rumors, which have since gone viral.
"Breaking news: CHUMLEE IS ALIVE & WELL! He is actually filming today but we all really appreciate everyone's concern!" Harrison posted on Twitter. ".@chumlee_ is ALIVE & WELL! He is 101 lbs down & in the best health of his life! Thanks for your concern! He is filming today at GS Pawn."
eBuzzed first created the report of Chumlee's death Wednesday, saying an anonymous source told the site of the reality star's death.
"Austin Russell, also known as Chumlee, star of History's reality series 'Pawn Stars,' has died from an apparent heart attack, sources confirm to eBuzzd. He was only 31 years old," the site wrote, saying it was a "shock" since he had begun to live a healthier lifestyle.
However, after the report was revealed to be a hoax, they recanted their statement, blaming the erroneous reporting on the source.
"UPDATE: We'd like to update our story covering the 'passing of Chumlee'. It appears that our sources were incorrect and as fans of Chumlee, we are happy to report that he is alive and well," eBuzzed wrote.
The relatively unknown site has perpetrated hoaxes this year like the death of Betty White, Tom Cruise quitting Scientology, and Justin Bieber getting into a serious car accident.
