To be included on this list, a celebrity or historical figure had to be of some importance, be famous or infamous, and have their death announced in a major news media market such as newspaper, radio, television, or the Internet. Imagine their surprise when they found out they were dead - talk about morbid curiosity!
10. Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone, an explorer and folk hero of the American West, became a folk hero as his exploits were published in dime serials of the time. Kentucky's "first" resident, Boone's obituary was mistakenly printed a few years before he died in 1820 at the age of 86. Who knows, the newspaper that wrote his early obituary might have thought he was actually exploring new territory—beyond the grave! ?
9. Bertrand Russell
This led to him apologizing by writing his own obit - but presumably written for his own amusement, it was quoted when he died in 1970.
8. P.T. Barnum
Perhaps the only member of this list who wanted to see his obituary printed before his death, PT Barnum, the genius behind the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, actually wanted to see it printed in the New York Evening Sun. On March 24, 1891, he achieved his dream; the obit is printed on the first page. How's that for the highest payout? He died two weeks later.
7. Alfred Nobel
Although most people recognize Nobel's name for the awards he gives out each year, Alfred Nobel was known in his day as the "Merchant of Death" for inventing both nitroglycerin and dynamite. When a newspaper printed his obituary 13 years before his death in 1896 and gave him this terrible nickname, he decided to do something about it by making provisions for the awards in his last will and testament. How ironic that the Nobel Prize is known for patting people on the back for peace, yet it is funded by some of the most explosive discoveries in history!
6. Paul McCartney
One of the two Beatles still kicking, Sir Paul McCartney was pronounced dead in 1966 by a caller to Detroit DJ Russ Gibb. In a separate incident, a New York DJ discussed her death days later. Both examples led to many references to his death in future Beatles songs.
5. Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Mary Wales Hemingway, were in a plane crash in 1954, and the newspaper declared them dead. The Nobel Prize-winning author of The Old Man and the Sea was seriously injured, but survived until 1961, seven years after the fatal accident.
4. Ronald Reagan/Queen Elizabeth
These two prominent world leaders fell victim to CNN.com's premature obit section in 2003. Queen Mother Elizabeth was also pronounced dead on Sky News after a routine exercise witnessed by a teenager. Word got out when the teenager called her mother in Australia and they failed to verify the story before publishing it. As for Reagan, it's quite surprising that he wasn't declared dead after the failed assassination attempt in the early 80s. Reagan is known as one of the most famous American presidents of the second half of the 20th century.
3. Mark Twain
The father of American Literature, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or Mark Twain, as he was better known, was reported to have died in 1897, about 13 years before his death. Reading his obit, he famously quoted - "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." It seems that in life and death, he could still charm the audience with his words.
2. Bob Hope
Charismatic vaudevillian Bob Hope left world just a few decades ago.
1. Pope John Paul II
Known as one of the greatest popes to serve in the Vatican, Pope John Paul II is the only person to read his will three times. And like Hope, she defied people's expectations for years before actually walking through the pearly gates. The pontiff was declared dead in CNN.com's premature obit section after the 1981 assassination attempt and an hour before he actually died.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
0 Comments