Earlier today, a rumor began circulating online that Sum 41 vocalist/guitarist Deryck Whibley had died. Whibley’s management, however, has confirmed that the frontman is still very much alive and that the rumor is false.

The “news” began being circulated this afternoon when a Twitter account based in Washington, D.C. claimed that Whibley had died. A local website re-tweeted the news and ran with a story that Whibley had died today in Las Vegas. It originally read: “Friends of DC music in Las Vegas have confirmed, to much much sorrow throughout our city that Deryck Whibley, who played so many early shows in DC’s punk scene, has died today. He was found at 10:45am by his girlfriend Hanna Beth Merjos. details to come, we are all still reeling.” 

Red Light Management—who handle Sum 41—told Altpress.com that the rumor is untrue and that Whibley is “very much alive.” 

UPDATE
Svetlana Legetic, an editor at BrightestYoungThings.com, the D.C. website that picked up the story, says that the rumor originated with the @VLoungeREALTIME Twitter account. Legetic had this to say: “It turns out that this was intended to be some kind of a test as to how viral news of this variety go (celebrity deaths being the constant trending topic on twitter etc). We are in the process of adjusting our little mini blurb (which does call for awaiting for more details/confirmation as is) on the site to reflect that Deryck is, in fact, not dead.”

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