Fact Check: Is Jeremy Renner dead? Social media claim debunked

A viral social media rumor claimed that Avengers actor Jeremy Renner had passed away. The rumor spread like wildfire on social media on Friday, June 23, leading to an outpour of condolences from fans.

The rumor claimed that Jeremy Renner died of a freak escalator accident. An image of a news story headline that implied the same was also circulated.

However, the claim is false. There has been no official confirmation regarding Renner's death from any source close to the actor. Renner even posted an Instagram story on Friday, the day he was speculated to be dead. The rumor of the actor's death is a nothing but a celebrity death hoax.

#RIPJeremyRenner trended on Twitter as a lot of fans showed their love for the actor. Tributes poured in without warning, and the more they came, the more people believed in the news. Some fans scrambled to check whether there was any truth to the rumor, only to be agitated at the lies.

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Fake News of Jeremy Renner's death spreads like wildfire

An image of what looked like a news article with the headline, "Jeremy Renner, actor, passes away at age 52 from freak escalator accident" went viral on social media. The article allegedly written by The Guardian's Sian Cain also stated that Renner died in a San Jose hospital.

However, this image has clearly been edited. The caption below Renner's picture talks about a Diane Sawyer interview from after his snowplow accident earlier this year.

The same image caption, along with the same cover image, could be found in a Guardian article published on May 30, written by Sian Cain.

A screenshot of the original article

Sian Cain is the deputy culture editor for Guardian Australia. A look into the writer's profile also showed that no such article was written by Cain. The last article written by the writer was a June 23 piece, on a magician who catches card cheats in Casinos.

According to some social users, even Jeremy Renner's Wikipedia page was modified, to make it look like he died. Currently, this is not the case.

The 52-year-old actor posted on Instagram the same day the rumors of his death began. His Instagram post showcased a brown bear holding a US flag in its mouth.

Renner captioned the picture, "4th of July prep Tahoe style." The picture was followed by a video of the same bear playing around with the flag to the tune of Queen's hit song, "You're my best friend."

Jeremy Renner posted on Instagram the very same day rumors of his death surfaced (Image via Instagram/@jeremyrenner)

Jeremy Renner's post on Instagram (Image via Instagram/@jeremyrenner)

In January, Renner was critically injured in an accident caused by a snowplow running over his leg. His long list of injuries, which included broken ribs, face, clavicle, shoulder, collapsed lungs, and pierced liver, were so severe that for a while, there was speculation regarding if he could fully recover or not.

However, the actor braved all obstacles and recovered at a brisk pace. In April, Renner made an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, where he talked about the snowplow accident.

On May 5, Jeremy Renner shared a video on his Instagram that showed him slowly learning how to walk, first with the help of a walker and then, by himself.

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Fans express condolences

Fans were distressed after the fake news of Jeremy Renner's death. However, while many social media users paid tribute to the actor, some used the fake news to make memes regarding the situation.

Here are some reactions to the news of Renner's death from Twitter:

Renner can be seen in his latest show, Rennervations, on Disney+, where he helps kids in different communities around the world. Renner also made his first Red Carpet appearance since the accident for the premiere of Rennervations in April.