RIP Rowan Atkinson: Twitter Death Hoax Claims ‘Black Adder’ Star [VIDEO]

Twitter, it seems, has claimed yet another victim!

This time it is the much-loved "Mr. Bean", aka Rowan Atkinson, the talented British comic actor, who has been declared dead. Fortunately for all his fans worldwide, the announcement was soon discredited!

Incidentally, this particular hoax follows on the heel of a rather curious one that was trending on Saturday - "RIP Facebook"!

This time, unlike earlier occasions, it seems the originator of the hoax has been more readily identified. A Michael Robert Meras was the man who apparently started it all.

The actor was very much alive when Meras, tweeted: "RIP Rowan Atkinson".

Meras later clarified that it was a joke.

"Shutting down now. Sorry guys, RIP Rowan Atkinson was just a joke. Sorry for that matter, I never thought it would be that viral," Meras tweeted later.

Unfortunately for him, the apology and admission came too late. Angry Atkinson fans and concerned tweeters started bulldozing him!

iTunesBelieber : "R.I.P Rowan Atkinson: Stop joking. Remember he's Mr.Bean - who was a part of your childhood and grew up with you. RT to show your respect."

StylesPendulum : "RIP Rowan Atkinson? I freaked out when i saw this, then i realized that Twitter was still killing people."

xALVINxHC : "RIP Rowan Atkinson? Mr. Bean is IMMORTAL!"

RT @TWlTTERWHALE: "RIP Rowan Atkinson? Really Twitter? Mr. Bean made 3 generations laugh without saying a word. Respect the man!!!"

Rowan Atkinson is an iconic British actor who, apart from the "Mr. Bean" series of films, has also starred in others like "Johnny English Reborn" and was a star of the popular "Black Adder" television series.

As a final point, perhaps to emphasise how serious this trend of Twitter hoaxes is, the normally reliable free encyclopedia - Wikipedia - was fooled into believing Atkinson's death. There were swift updates to his page on the Web site, including a date of death - Feb. 26, 2012. Needless to say, it was soon corrected.

So who do you think the next victim will be?

Meanwhile check out a few of the Black Adder's most hilarious moments!

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