5 celebrities who were 'killed' by the internet in 2015

For a few minutes on Wednesday, the world believed that Carlos Santana had passed away. News of the influential guitarist's "death" spread across Twitter after a journalist reported hearing of it from "sources," but the false report was quickly refuted by Santana's spokespeople.

Celebrity death hoaxes are far from uncommon online, with news of a cherished celebrity or public icon dying appearing in social media feeds nearly every other month. Sometimes these hoaxes start by fake news outlets pushing out reports of the death of a celebrity, hoping other reputable organizations will take the bait and report. Other times the hoaxes snowball naturally as social media users share dubious information that ends up becoming a trending topic online.

Regardless of origin, celebrity death hoaxes frequently scare us into thinking someone has died, when that couldn't be further from the truth. Here are five celebrities who were "killed" by the internet in 2015:

James Earl Jones

He's been nominated for an Oscar and has won Emmy, Golden Globe and Tony awards. But in August 2015, James Earl Jones was finally able to add "victim of celebrity death hoax" to his impressive resume. In August, a parody news website posted on Facebook saying that the actor had died, according to CNN. From there, news of Jones' "death" became a trending topic with many fans sharing their condolences.

Willie Nelson

The easy-going, country music icon was reported dead in April 2015 by the fake news website MSMBC. The report claimed that Nelson had been found dead at his Maui home while including fake quotes from non-existent police officers. But now Nelson is just on the road again until another death hoax comes his way.

Will Smith

Social media users were startled after hearing of the Smith's passing earlier in April, with fake news outlets saying that the actor had fallen to his death in New Zealand while filming a movie. But the fresh prince is still very much alive and kicking it in 2015.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

He did say he'll be back! The actor and former California governor was "reported" by MSMBC to have been found dead at his home after police responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive male. This rumor was promptly terminated.

Betty White

Ms. White found herself the victim of a death hoax over Labor Day weekend; and it turns out the same exact rumor had spread about the Golden Girls star a year earlier. But White dispelled rumors of her death with an Instagram image, featuring the healthy 93-year-old standing alongside Bones stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz.

So the next time you hear a rumor that a famous person has passed away, take a moment and catch your breath, and then look to see if the source of the information is accurate and reputable before you fall for another celebrity death hoax.