Angelina Jolie Suicide Rumor-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
An older rumor that Angelina Jolie was found dead from an apparent suicide has resurfaced.
The Truth:
Rumors that Angelina Jolie committed suicide and left a disturbing video behind are false, and clicking on a link to watch the video could harm your computer.
The death hoax goes that Jolie committed suicide because she was devastated that her husband Brad Pitt was (supposedly) divorcing her went viral on social media in August 2016.
There’s no truth to reports of Jolie’s death, or reports that Jolie and Pitt divorcing.
This hoax is almost identical to a Jaden Smith death hoax that went viral weeks earlier. In both cases, CNN or BBC, depending on the version, supposedly posted a “goodbye video” in which the actors explained their suicides.
The link is clickbait that’s used to lure people into installing a rogue app onto their phone. Those who click the link are greeted with a popup that asks them to give the app permission to post from their account in order to view the video. And, of course, the video doesn’t actually exist.
If you installed the app while trying to view the article or video, it’s fairly simple to delte. Click the dropdown area in the top of Facebook and select “Settings.” From there, click “apps” in the left menu and hover your cursor over the app you’d like to delete and click the “x” to delete it. Click here for step-by-step instructions from Facebook.