Key Points
- Willie Nelson refutes AI-generated death rumors with a warning via Instagram.
- Viral fake stories claim Nelson is dead or in critical condition, using doctored images.
- Fans react strongly, with many frustrated by persistent false rumors of his death.
Willie Nelson is “Still Not Dead.”
The 92-year-old country icon is very much alive and well, despite what some fake articles online might say.
In a scathing new Instagram post on Monday, Dec. 1, the country crooner sent a warning to his fans about believing the fake death news, which he believes are false, AI-generated stories.
Nelson addressed his social media followers with a series of images in an Instagram carousel, including one that showed him glaring into the camera lens. As you swipe through each slide in the post, the camera zoomed in closer and closer on Nelson’s face, making it look like he was giving fans a death stare in the final, menacing photo.
“If you believe those AI death stores one more time…” he told fans in his caption, playfully threatening fans to stop falling for the fake headlines they see online.
Several of Nelson’s fans got a kick out of his post on Monday, including one fan who agreed the rumors and fake stories about his death are getting to be quite “annoying.”
On some social media platforms like Facebook, there is a myriad of stories claiming that Nelson is in “critical condition” or that he already “passed away,” prompting a flurry of fans to fall for the scam and start sending their condolences online.
Many of the stories appear to have used AI-generated images of Nelson in a hospital bed or being visited by his family members, even though it is clearly not Nelson in the pictures.
Someone said they almost had a “heart attack” after seeing one of the false headlines claiming Nelson was dead.
“Rumors suck!” another commenter plainly put it.
“Legends don’t die,” one fan insisted, while another user added, “Willie #forever.”
