Rue McClanahan’s Death Goes Viral, Five Years After The ‘Golden Girls’ Star Died

Rue McClanahan’s death went viral on Thursday, when news of her death shocked fans on social media despite having occurred five years ago.

Rue McClanahan’s Death Goes Viral Five Years Later

McClanahan’s death went viral on June 11, 2015 – barely a week after the fifth anniversary of her death – when an obituary for McClanahan resurfaced online. The obituary is clearly dated June 3, 2010, but that didn’t stop fans from assuming it was recent and taking to social media to mourn the beloved Golden Girls star.

Blanche from Golden Girls died! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOOO!!!!! RIP RUE McCLANAHAN AKA BLANCHE!

— str8outtalocash (@bretheplaymaker) June 11, 2015

Rue McClanahan is gone too? This is a horrible day!

— Alicia Mello (@AliciaIsMello) June 11, 2015

Of course, not everyone believed the hoax.

This just in: Rue McClanahan, still dead.

— Max Weiss (@maxthegirl) June 12, 2015

My wife: “Oh no. Rue McClanahan died.” Me: “Oh god… wait. She died, like, five years ago.” My wife: “I hate Facebook.”

— Dan Saraceni (@cultureoflosing) June 12, 2015

Someone on my FB posted : RIP Rue McClanahan, you will be missed. Apparently not, since she died five years ago and you didn’t miss her.

— Suz (@suz_b31) June 12, 2015

McClanahan’s death also went viral one year ago, when the same obituary became popular on Facebook and Twitter, causing a fresh wave of grief and commemoration.

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