Maya Angelou Safe In St. Louis After False Hospitalization Report
First Published: October 4, 2009 6:16 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images
Caption Dr. Maya Angelou speaks on stage during the 34th Annual AWRT Gracie Awards Gala at The New York Marriott Marquis on June 3, 2009LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Maya Angelou is alive and well in her hometown of St. Louis – not hospitalized in Los Angeles, according to Reuters.
On Saturday night, TMZ had reported that the beloved writer, 81, had been taken to the hospital that evening, making her a no-show at the BraveHeart Awards in LA.
However, the site later updated to state that Maya was never slated to appear at the event and had sent over a taped acceptance speech.
The false report became a Twitter trending topic on Saturday, showcasing the Internet’s continually growing power to fuel rumors.
Other recent rumors to spread quickly across the Internet include ones of Alyssa Milano’s pregnancy – which the star debunked on Twitter – and blogger Perez Hilton’s erroneous report that former “Charlie’s Angels” star Jaclyn Smith was hospitalized after a suicide attempt in Honduras.
It was, in fact, a stunt double of the star’s who was the real subject of the report.
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