Kanye West

Contrary to reports that spread online Tuesday, the outspoken rapper is not dead. West instead was the victim a hoax that began on a fraudulent Web site that resembled a Fox News story reporting that he had died in a “bizarre car crash in Los Angeles.”

The site has been taken down – but not before West’s model-girlfriend Amber Rose responded on her Twitter page, stating that the rumor of his death was “NOT TRUE.” The rumor was especially popular on Twitter, and “RIP Kanye West” actually became a trending topic at one point. Wrote Rose: “This ‘RIP Kanye West’ topic is not funny. He has people like myself and his family that love him very much.”