Willie Nelson Sets the Record Straight, Dismissing AI Death Hoaxes as Annoying and Fake. ML
Texas outlaw-country icon Willie Nelson is the latest to warn fans not to fall for the digital tall tales spun by AI, especially the ones eager to declare him dead before his time.
The music pioneer icon posted photos of himself reclining for a moment of peace on his Instagram this week, with the caption: “If you believe those AI death stories one more time…”
In fact, Willie, who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, is up for a 2026 Grammy Award. He’s making Grammy history as his latest album, “Oh What a Beautiful World,” is up against his son Lukas Nelson’s album, “American Romance.”
It’s not the first time Willie, 92, has fended off rumors of his demise. He’s been fighting them for the past decade, since fake-news sites began spreading the hoax widely online back in 2015, according to Snopes.
In an interview with GQ published this week, Willie said he comes back to the word “thanks” and that he has been able to do some things others didn’t get a chance to do.
“I’ve been very lucky,” he said. “We did everything wrong for a while, and then we figured it out.”
