A Facebook post circulating in July 2016 convinced many users that actor Rowan Atkinson ("Mr. Bean") had committed suicide.
Another celebrity death hoax reared its head in July 2016, as posts circulated on Facebook sharing the news that British actor and comedian Rowan Atkinson, best known for playing the character Mr. Bean on television and in movies, was dead, having committed suicide at age 58.
Clue #1 that the information is false: In the viral graphic, Atkinson's birth year is given 1995. If true, that would make him 21.
Clue #2 that the information is false: In the viral graphic, Atkinson's age is given as 58. In reality, he's 61, having been born in 1955.
Clue #3 that the information is false: Nowhere, in any legitimate media, was it reported that Rowan Atkinson had killed himself in July 2016.
The errors and inconsistencies in the post are attributable to the fact that a virtually identical hoax had circulated in 2013 and was repurposed, with little or no attention to detail, for recirculation in 2016.
The most important thing to know about it is that the hoax is also a "clickjacking" scam. If you click on the blurb expecting to see a video or get more information, what you will find instead is that you have been redirected to another website that will attempt to get you to share your personal info, request access to your Facebook account, demand that you fill out a survey before proceeding, or all of the above.
A similar hoax/scam circulating concurrently held that actor Nicholas Cage had died in a motorcycle accident. Also untrue.[inquisitr]
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