What the Hell: Is Avril Lavigne dead?
It’s hard to say how or why the elusive “death hoax” occurs. It doesn’t necessarily indicate the allegedly dead celeb’s irrelevance or falling out of favour (Johnny Depp was the subject of a faux driving fatality last January), nor does it mean the opposite (remember when word spread that Stephanie Tanner from Full House was dead when she was just addicted to meth?). At any rate, the latest undead celeb is Napanee’s own Avril Lavigne. Over the weekend, an article published on Global Associated News claimed the Sk8er Gurl had died in a snowboarding accident. Turns out the site is actually a death hoax generator, where visitors can simply enter a celebrity’s name to generate semi-plausible stories.
Still, all was not totally merry and bright for Lavigne over the holiday break. The singer’s beau, Brody Jenner, was injured in a surfing accident (in true reality star style, he’s been reporting on the recovery process via Twitter). But bloody-limbed boyfriends and bogus deaths aside, the real question is: will Lavigne’s career live or die in the new year? The first single off her upcoming album got its debut on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. The catchy tune is titled “What the Hell,” not to be confused with the forthcoming “Why the Hell Does Everyone Keep Saying I’m Dead?”
• Brody Jenner Injured, But Avril Lavigne Not Dead [Kingston Herald]
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Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
