Merle Haggard Leaves Estate to LGBT Group-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Merle Haggard, the recently deceased country music icon, left his estate to a California-based LGBT group.
The Truth:
A fake news website is behind reports that Merle Haggard’s estate will go to an LGBT group.
The story went viral after Merle Haggard, known for hits such as “Okie from Muskogee” and “Sing Me Back Home,” died of pneumonia at the age of 79 in April 2016.
In a story appearing under the headline “Merle Haggard Leaves Estate to Bakersfield LGBT Group,” the Nevada County Scooper reported that Haggard had left his estate to Interpride Enterprises, a group that organizes pride parades:
The Scooper contacted Interpride and spoke to Raul Merman. We asked how they felt about the donation.
“It is absolutely wonderful,” said Raul. “We can do so much with this money. Research and helping us expand our various events. We plan on creating a Merle Haggard float for this year’s Pride parade in San Francisco on June 26th. It should really be something.”
The donation is expected to be in the millions of dollars. There has been no comment from Merle Haggard’s family.
Taken out of context on social media, many were duped into believing that the story was true. But the Nevada County Scooper identifies itself as “satirical in scope” and its content as “fake news and social criticism” in its terms and conditions.