A “Dead” Eddie Murphy Falls Victim to Mistaken Identity

Actor/comedian, Eddie Murphy, has been cracking jokes for more than three decades.  Murphy, who originally gained recognition as a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, became a mainstream film star after he starred as Detective Axel Foley in the 1984 film, Beverly Hills Cop.  The film spawned two sequels and also launched Murphy’s career as a seriously funny actor.  During the 1990s, Murphy enjoyed great success and he starred in eight noteworthy films including Harlem Nights and The Nutty Professor.  However, as Murphy’s career progressed he showed the world that his acting skills were not just limited to raunchy comedic roles. In 2001, Murphy’s voice was featured Disney’s computer animated film, Shrek. Murphy used his distinct voice to give life to the character Donkey, Shrek’s funny and loyal sidekick.  Murphy’s role in the Shrek franchise earned him a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nomination helped him appeal to younger audiences.

In 2006, Murphy starred as Jimmy ‘Thunder’ Early in the remake of the popular Broadway musical, Dreamgirls.  The role, which earned Murphy a Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Actor, allowed Murphy’s fans to see him in a more serious light while allowing him to maintain his sense of humor and charismatic charm.

Murphy has spent much of his career proving to the world that while he can certainly bring a smile to anyone’s face, he isn’t just a one-dimensional entertainer . However, while Murphy has been trying to prove his greatness, the worldwide web seemed to have had its own agenda. With the help of the internet, Murphy has proven that death does indeed come in threes, and the legendary star has “died” at least six times-and will probably pass away many more times within the next several years.

News of Murphy’s untimely death has circulated the internet in various ways including:  Two years ago, a page titled “R.I.P Eddie Murphy (7/13/12)” appeared and suggested that users “like” the page to pay their respects to the fallen star.  After reaching over 100 likes, and presumably realizing that Eddie Murphy had not died, the page began to focus its content on internet jokes and memes.

In addition to Facebook pages, there have been several “news” reports announcing Murphy’s death, and while some have been more detailed than others – they have all generally been successful in capturing at least some of the public’s attention. One report, which has been circulated frequently, says that Murphy died in a snowboarding accident.  The report states: “The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Eddie Murphy lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed. Eddie Murphy was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death.” However, the faux news stories on Murphy’s death don’t end there.  Just days ago, Murphy was presumed dead again after a message saying: “At about 11 a.m. ET on Monday (November 10, 2014), our beloved actor Eddie Murphy passed away. Eddie Murphy was born on April 3, 1961 in New York. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.” While the story does seem a little unlikely, in a world where strange things happen everyday, it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference between fact and fiction.

Each time Eddie Murphy dies, stunned fans from across the world flock to the internet to pay their respects.  While it is not uncommon for fans to attach images with their messages of condolence, it is quite unlikely for the images and the names not to match.  However, in Murphy’s case, many of the photos associated with his death are actually images of other famous comedians. Here are five social media posts that have incorrectly attributed Eddie Murphy’s ‘death(s)’ to other celebrities.

5.

The only correct piece of information on this Tumblr post is that Eddie Murphy was in fact born in 1961.  The rest, including the image and the compliment about Murphy’s role in Madagascar, are all extremely inaccurate.  The picture actually displays the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air himself, Will Smith, and Murphy didn’t have any “part” in the Madagascar film.

4.

https://twitter.com/PeytonGivens/status/530785051345420288

Again, the internet has mistaken fellow actor/comedian Will Smith for Eddie Murphy.  Ironically, this tweet came more than four years after Murphy’s supposed death date. Hopefully by now @PeytonGivens realizes that Murphy has not actually passed away.

3.

RIP Eddie Murphy :/ pic.twitter.com/Z4TPPhZu

— BASEDTHOVEN (@FlexxxLugar) December 18, 2012

Tyler Perry, pictured in this “RIP Eddie Murphy” shout out was accidentally thrown into the mix after one of Murphy’s many deaths.

2.

Heard Eddie Murphy died today. So sad, so senseless. R.I.P. Eddie Murphy pic.twitter.com/8W6DcuUPrz

— Ryan Scott Graham (@RyanScottGraham) October 24, 2013

Rapper and St. Louis native, Murphy Lee, is a member of Nelly’s group, the St. Lunatics.  He is best known for performing on the Grammy Award winning song, “Shake Ya Tailfeather” which featured Nelly and P.Diddy.  Ryan Scott Graham may want to brush up on his pop-culture facts before spreading anymore false death announcements.

1.

https://twitter.com/caseybolts/status/165523200149700609

Eddie Murphy’s contemporary, Martin Lawrence, is photographed here with a tweet that reads “RIP Eddie Murphy.”  Lawrence is most famous for his self-titled sitcom, Martin, which aired from 1994 to 1997.  In 1999 Lawrence had a near brush with death after he suffered a heat stroke after jogging in extremely high temperatures.  However, Lawrence, like Murphy, is alive and well and hasn’t had any recent close calls.

(Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)