'Despicable' hoax claims Dave Dobbyn has died

Sir Dave Dobbyn. File photo via NZ Herald
Sir Dave Dobbyn. File photo via NZ Herald
Sir Dave Dobbyn's manager has blasted a "despicable" social media hoax claiming the Kiwi singing great has died.

Despite rumours on social media alarming fans saying Dobbyn had died, the singer is otherwise fine.

He is the latest celebrity to be targeted in a fake news scam on social media. The scam wrongly states that the legendary musician has died.

In a post on his Facebook page, his manager clarified the rumour is false. Lorraine Barry, Dobbyn's manager, called the rumour "despicable" and added that it initially upset people who love him.

"Dave's manager here. We've been alerted to a despicable post that has circulated overnight saying he has died," she wrote on Thursday.

"It has caused initial alarm to those who love him and has received countless shares from concerned fans. Please know that Dave is very much alive and well," she added.

Fans were relieved to see the post, with some admitting they had seen the fake news circulating online.

"Thank you, saw post earlier, (filthy advertisers) checked news immediately and relieved to see Dave is still in our slice of heaven," one person commented.

"What the f**k ,gave me a bloody fright, but then realised 'why isn't on the news', boy oh boy heaven is not ready for you," another fan replied.

A Facebook user in the thread reported seeing a scam involving Sir Dave Dobbyn's name on Facebook Marketplace.

"There's a marketplace scammer advertising his death, then goes on to talking about a Ferrari recently bought blah blah blah with money he'd invested in some shonky scheme that the marketplace add is luring people into," that person explained.

Comments

Far too much fake news. It stems from the media focusing on printing & speaking opinions - rather than actual NEWS. The public don't see the difference.
My neighbour hears a caller on talkback radio or hears Mike Hosking - and comes over and tells me "woe, such & such is going to happen by the govt". I have a heck of a job to convince her its not fact.
NewstalkZB's advert stating "the names you can trust" gives the public the impression that opinions & interviews with the opposition is what is happening when it is not.
In recent years the media are more interested in what the opposition has to say that the public get confused what is actually being DONE by the govt or what someone else would LIKE to do.
So it is so easy to say someone has died because any opinion is seen as fact today.
My young boy & his uni mates stop watching/ listening/ reading the news and have come off facebook. The media need to return to NEWS. The ODT are closest to that in NZ.