No, Mexican icon Vicente Fernández is not dead

Well, Internet, you managed to kill off another celebrity who is actually alive and well.

Vicente Fernández, the immensely popular Mexican singer and actor, was not killed in a car crash Wednesday in Mexico.

Reports of the 74-year-old ranchera singer’s demise were on social media, but his press office in Guadalajara said it was all a hoax.

A similar scare happened in April but was quickly stifled when his son, Vicente Fernandez Jr., tweeted a warning that the email reporting his father’s death actually contained a computer virus and should not be opened.

Had the news of Fernández’s death been true, it would have been devastating to the millions of fans who revere the star.

Fernández is a cultural icon, having recorded more than 50 albums and contributed to more than 30 films.

For decades, he has been considered the greatest living entertainer in Mexico.

Fernández has had recent health concerns that halted his farewell tour. But he said in a recent interview that his health is much better and the final tour before his retirement will continue in September.

The massive tour takes the star across Mexico, the U.S., Spain, Central America and South America.

Fernández is unlikely to be the last celebrity to be prematurely killed off by the Internet, and he isn’t the first.

Recently, “Seinfeld” and “Jurassic Park” star Wayne Knight had to take to Twitter to reassure all that he was still kicking.

Other stars on the hoax list include Will Smith, Morgan Freeman, John Goodman, Paris Hilton and, maybe the most famous of all, Sir Paul McCartney.

Times staff writer Hector Becerra contributed to this report from Mexico City.

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