Social media posts claiming British actor Rowan Atkinson best known for playing the television character Mr. Bean, died resurfaced again on Tuesday.
Rumours of the actor's death have periodically surfaced since 2012 and have been debunked by media organisations. AFP had recently fact-checked the same hoax when it had resurfaced in June 2021.
Mr Bean, which ran from 1990 to 1995, became an iconic role and one of Britain's funniest comic shows. Atkinson (66) is also best known for his work in the 'Johnny English', 'Black Adder' franchises.
Also Read: Fake Mr Bean Facebook Page Falsely Claim Rowan Atkinson Is Dead
In India, Twitter and Facebook users began sharing condolence messages for Atkinson with photos of him as Mr Bean.
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BOOM also received the viral message claiming Atkinson's death on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111).
PBJ Management, the talent agency that manages Atkinson, had denied the actor's demise to AFP back in June when an unofficial Mr Bean Facebook page falsely claimed the actor's demise.
The hoax on his death has been going around on social media since 2012 at least and have repeatedly made a come back every year since. Additionally, we did not find any credible news reports from the UK or otherwise reporting on Atkinson's death.
Currently, Atkinson has been roped in to share screen space with actors Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins for the forthcoming highly-anticipated film Wonka, which is set to release in 2023. The film is a musical recreation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and will see Timothee Chalamet in the lead role.