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Recent rumors of the death of Turkish TikToker Yasin Cengiz, known for dancing with his belly, have been making their rounds on social media. However, the dancing influencer is alive and well as of February 3, 2023.
The reports first started in January 2023 on TikTok when users started posting videos of the dancer with the caption "RIP Yasin Cengiz." The fake news spread across social media platforms, with fans and followers sharing old photos and clips of Cengiz as a tribute and expressing their loss.
However, Yasin Cengiz posted a video on TikTok just a few hours ago with him dancing on his profile.
Yasin Cengiz is alive and dancing
Recent edits and posts about the influencer's death circulating on TikTok have caused mass confusion, leading many to believe Yasin Cengiz is dead. One such edit showed a public funeral scene with people offering flowers and a casket being carried.
Another featured a montage of the TikToker dancing and was shared with an on-post caption "RIP YASIN CENGIX." The post read (translated from Italian via Google Translate):
"How it all started... One dance made him (famous) all over the world."
However, a quick search on Google or TikTok would prove the news to be fake.
The belly dancing influencer is active on his account on the video-sharing platform. He frequently shares posts of himself dancing whilst traveling on his profile. His latest video shows him dancing beside a man who is mixing a large pot of soup.
Cengiz shared the clip with the caption (translated from Turkish via Google Translate):
"How many people do you think this soup is for? @polesancatering Adds Value to Mass Meals."
Yasin Cengiz joined TikTok in 2021 and gained a huge following thanks to his dance
Yasin Cengiz was born in Istanbul, Turkey, and is known for sharing humorous dancing clips with strangers he meets while traveling. He joined the video-sharing platform in March 2021 and quickly garnered online attention. His profile @yasincengiz38 currently boasts a following of over seven million and over 94 million combined likes.
Most of his clips feature the TikToker shaking his belly to the beat of the song Shtibidid Dom Dom Yes Yes by Biser King.
Since his dance moves caught people's attention, the TikToker has been traveling across the world, collaborating with various influencers and chefs, and making his signature belly-shaking moves.
TikTok has had several rumors of fake deaths
This is not the first time inaccurate reports of people dying have been trending on TikTok.
In December last year, rumors of Cher dying were circulating on social media after the singer's mother, Georgia Holt, passed away. The confusion was fueled by an obituary-styled YouTube video on Cher that went viral. However, false reports were put to rest after the If I Could Turn Back Time singer shared a series of tweets expressing her grief over the loss of her beloved mother.
Around the same time, Abraham Clinkscale, popularly known as Jamal from the "Jamal Did It" meme was rumored to have died in a shooting in Houston. This happened after TikTok videos with the bogus claim started making rounds. The reports were proven incorrect after the influencer shared an Instagram story.
The frequency of such false claims has made verifying news of the utmost importance, especially on social media.
