Photo: Instagram
It was the latest hoax.
By Amy Lamare — Written on Oct 15, 2018
Is Machine Gun Kelly dead? Over the weekend, news broke that 28-year-old rapper Machine Gun Kelly was dead. The news spread rapidly but left a number of people scratching their heads. Was he dead or was this the latest celebrity death hoax? If it was a hoax, who started it and why? How did they claim he died? Do these people have too much time on their hands? Let's take a look at what we know so far about the rumor that Machine Gun Kelly is dead.
1. Ovedosed on "Ligma"
People were reporting that Machine Gun Kelly, who is fresh off a performance at San Diego's Kaboo festival, had overdosed on a drug called Ligma. The problem is there is no such thing as Ligma. Nevertheless, the news initially caused panic in his fans.
2. His feud with Eminem
Technically, the feud between Eminem and Machine Gun Kelly dates back to 2012 when Kelly commented on a photo of Eminem's then 16-year-old daughter Haille called her "hot as F***". However, the feud heated up big-time in September when Eminem threw shade at Kelly on his song Not Alike. “…You already know who the f*ck you are, Kelly / I don’t use sublims and sure as f*ck don’t sneak-diss / But keep commenting on my daughter Hailie.” Kelly fired back with the song Rap Devil, which is a play on Eminem's Rap God saying, "Trying to be the old you so bad you Stan yourself.” before Eminem responded again, this time via the song Killshot.
3. Did Eminem's fans start the hoax?
Many people are calling the Machine Gun Kelly death hoax a well-timed joke by Internet trolls who are big Eminem fans. The website Huzlers was the first to report the death, writing: "Richard Colson Baker, known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly, Was found dead by his manager of what seems to be a LIGMA overdose. Sources close to MGK say after Eminem released KILLSHOT Machine Gun Kelly fell into depression and started abusing LIGMA. His manager suggested he get help but he never did. MGK has been working hard on a come back to at Eminem but he might have overworked himself and the substance abuse was his down fall.KILLSHOT really hurt MGK he was only 28 another rapper gone to soon. Help us raise awareness about LIGMA by sharing this article." However, people who took this seriously didn't question what Ligma is, nor consider that Huzlers is a satire website.
4. Not the first appearance of Ligma
MGK's death hoax is not the first time a celebrity has fallen victim to the imaginary drug/disease. Online Fortnight gamer personality Tyler "Ninja" Blevins was the first "celebrity" believed to have died from Ligma. This was also a hoax.
5. Not dead
To be clear, Machine Gun Kelly is not dead. He is alive and well.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.