Simon Cowell Is Not Dead: Hoax Picks Up Steam

Music mogul Simon Cowell is not dead. So why do articles on the internet say he is?

A “death hoax” targeting the Britain’s Got Talent judge has been circulating on the internet for months. To this day, it’s a popular rumour online, with numerous articles debunking the theory that Cowell died suddenly.

The hoax kicked off in January 2023, with Cowell’s ex-girlfriend, the singer Sinitta receiving tonnes of text messages sending condolences. She assured followers on Twitter, "Simon is very much alive and well, and he is NOT dead, folks," before adding, "I'm glad I can laugh about it, but you truly worried me. Even though Cowell is well and living, the false rumours have persisted online.”

Since the hoax began, Cowell has been seen alive and well on the new season of Britain’s Got Talent. Representatives for the music industry star commented yesterday (per Media Mass), “He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized [sic] by this hoax. He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.”

Meanwhile, technology publication Tech Arp has gone the extra mile to prove to fans who have been fooled by the hoax that Cowell is alive.

Tech Arp runs through the claim that Cowell died in a tragic car accident, then embeds a recent Instagram post shared by Cowell; reminded fans that no legitimate media outlet has reported on his death despite the long-running speculation, and the photos of him in hospital and car in a crash have been edited.

Despite the article debunking the theory, anyone can Google "Simon Cowell dead" and find the hoax and start the rumours all over again.

Before the death hoax took hold, Cowell joined forces with Universal Music, Republic Records, Samsung, and the prolific songwriter and producer Max Martin (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Celine Dion, Ariana Grande) to launch a talent show on TikTok called StemDrop in October.

On StemDrop, people on TikTok will record their own music over a foundation laid by modern pop songwriting legends and Cowell and the record labels will search for what they like the most.

This is when StemDrop becomes a talent show. Universal Music Group will look for the best talents to sign to Republic Records on a social media platform of over a billion monthly users. 

On the launch of StemDrop, Cowell said, "The premise was always very straightforward… 'What would happen if the best songwriters in the world wrote a song for the world…….?' We have no idea what's going to happen.

“It says everything about Max Martin, Savan and Ali that they have decided to give this song to the TikTok community to record and collaborate with them. In addition, I want to thank TikTok, Samsung and Universal for their support and enthusiasm. Again, their passionate support of talented people is amazing."