False claims that actor and musician Jack Black has died are circulating again online. Despite persistent rumours, the School of Rock and Tenacious D star is very much alive.

The latest speculation began after a TikTok video appeared to show a post from Black's official X (formerly Twitter) account announcing his 'death'. The post claimed the 55-year-old had 'just been found passed away' and would be 'remembered as one of this generation's greatest actors'. No such tweet exists, and Black's verified accounts remain active.

It is not the first time that Black has been 'killed off' by the internet. Over the past decade, his name has repeatedly trended alongside false reports of his death, revealing both the reach of misinformation and the odd fascination with celebrity death hoaxes.

A familiar falsehood returns

The viral TikTok clip showed what appeared to be Jack Black's profile photo and X handle, accompanied by a fabricated statement promising 'more updates coming soon'. Some users initially took the image at face value, sparking a brief surge of searches across Google and TikTok.

However, there was no trace of the post on Black's verified account, nor any matching statement from his representatives, family or bandmates. Social media users and fact-checkers quickly pointed out inconsistencies in the screenshot's layout and tone, identifying it as a fake designed to mimic an official announcement.

This is not the first time Black has been the victim of such claims. In 2016, the official X account of his rock duo Tenacious D was hacked and used to post a message falsely declaring his death. The band later confirmed the account had been compromised and stressed that Black was 'alive and well'. Similar fabricated reports surfaced in 2012 and 2014, each time prompting his representatives to reassure the public that he was unharmed.

Why Jack Black keeps being 'killed off' online

Jack Black's high profile and instantly recognisable persona make him a common target for viral misinformation. The 2016 hack showed how easily spoofed social media accounts can trigger false reports that spread rapidly before verification catches up.

Social platforms also reward speed and emotion. Posts that appear shocking or sentimental tend to go viral long before fact-checking begins. In some cases, users repeat such claims ironically or as part of an in-joke, blurring the line between humour and deception. The South China Morning Post described the trend as part of a wider 'epidemic of celebrity death hoaxes'.

Celebrity and online truth

The persistence of such rumours highlights broader concerns about misinformation in the social-media age. Fabricated posts that appear to originate from verified accounts blur the line between credible sources and manipulated content, leaving many users unsure whom to trust.

Experts warn that repeated exposure to hoaxes can dull public sensitivity to genuine news and place pressure on public figures and their teams to respond to false claims, no matter how absurd they may seem.

Jack Black remains very much alive, yet the speed with which each hoax spreads shows how easily falsehoods can outpace fact. As long as social media rewards shock over accuracy, celebrity death hoaxes are likely to persist.

Originally published on IBTimes UK