Zach Braff has been forced to speak out following a string of vicious Internet reports that suggested he had committed suicide.
Rumors claiming the Scrubs star had died began circulating after a fake CNN news page was posted on social networking site Twitter.com on Monday.
The bogus report alleged that Braff was found dead with “an empty pill bottle at his side” in an apparent suicide.
But the actor quickly took to the Web to reassure his fans.
In a post on his official Facebook.com page, he writes, “Hi. I’m very much alive. Total internet rumor. Amazing how fast one douche can spread a lie. Be careful out there on the internet friends. Please spread the word… Video of me holding today’s paper to follow… Love, zb”
The star later posted a video (clip below) in which he jokes about the hoax with his Scrubs co-star Donald Faison.
In the clip, Braff quips, “I’m alive! There was a big internet rumor today that I was dead… It’s not the case, I’m here at Scrubs shooting the new Scrubs title sequence, which is a little bit like dying, so I guess that was semi-accurate.
“Also I would never off myself with pills. If I had to do it, I’d do it the way that everyone else would do it – by hitting myself with pots and pans.
“A couple of inaccuracies you should have noticed when you saw the thing, if you believed it – the dude said I was found in my 32,000 square foot estate in Beverly Hills – but I’m not Oprah! That’s a big house!
“I just want to say to the douchebag who started this: You win my first ever douche of the day award for making my mom upset!”
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