Fans of famous YouTuber, TikToker and Twitch streamer Joe Bartolozzi are purporting that their favorite content creator is dead. However, Bartolozzi would protest that he is very much alive, fighting trolls who've been spreading the viral death hoax in recent days.

Earlier this week, TikTokers started posting sentimental photo slideshows that proclaimed "R.I.P. Joe Bartolozzi." Many of these slideshows used the song "American Pie" by Don McLean, leading with the well-known lyric, "The day the music died."

Following the viral slideshows posted by various TikTokers in June 2023, users flocked to Bartolozzi's channel to see if he was still uploading content. In turn, he was, but some crafty misinformation spreaders came up with a justification for this — his family was posting his drafts post-death.

The rumor further manifested in Bartolozzi's comment sections where his viewers wrote, "It's like he's still here 🕊️🕊️," among other statements that made it sound like he had passed away. The buzz eventually prompted a response video from Bartolozzi himself.

@joe.bartolozzi Replying to @you ♬ original sound – Joe Bartolozzi

Despite vehemently countering the claims that he was dead, TikTokers continued to spread the "Joe Bartolozzi's dead" hoax well into the following week. For instance, one TikToker decided to make a longer video about Bartolozzi's supposed death, falsely claiming that he died while binging alcohol on a recent Twitch stream.

@yourfavoriteguy rest in peace @Joe Bartolozzi heres what happened to him #yourfavoriteguy #reachout #dontdrink ♬ original sound – YourFavoriteGuy

Now that the death hoax has become a full-fledged, well-rounded, meme content machine, TikTokers are making similar "death hoax" videos about other famous influencers on the platform.

For instance, Noah Glenn Carter (a leading creator on TikTok) is experiencing his own death hoax, painted similarly to Bartolozzi's.

@noahglenncarter This si why all of your favorite creators are passing away #foryou #ripjoe #joebartolozzi #rip ♬ Get You The Moon – Kina

These types of memetic death hoaxes have been prominent for years on the internet (usually involving celebrities like Joe Rogan), but it's anyone's guess as to whether or not this type of "death hoax" content will be a new meme trend on TikTok going forward.