It’s a strange phenomenon, these celebrity Twitter deaths that runs rampant on the network from time to time. Someone (for reasons that are completely unknown to me) starts the rumor that a particular larger-than-life figure has died, other latch on, and soon “RIP Celebrity” is trending on Twitter.

Hugh Hefner was the latest victim of this bizarre gossip, and he took to Twitter to directly refute any claims contrary to his being full of life.

Twitter was abuzz last night with talk that Hugh Hefner had died. People were taking to tweets to express their sadness and disbelief that he had passed away.

However, it was all just a bad taste rumor, after all. There were many who were skeptical from the beginning, as they should have been – Twitter has been struck by the celebrity death hoax many, many times before. Whenever a famous name trends on Twitter, you’ll find a significant portion of people questioning whether it’s trending for some true reason or as part of a hoax.

Hefner was the latest victim of this unfathomable Twitter “prank”.

After trending for several hours and witnessing his own 140-character eulogy, Hefner took to Twitter himself to put the rumors to rest. He tweeted from his Twitter account @hughhefner:

“The rumors of my death are, as Mark Twain observed in a similar situation, greatly exaggerated. I’m very much alive & kicking.”

“I’m lying in bed next to Shera with a big smile on my face, reading tweets about my unexpected demise.”

So there you have it, the ultimate playboy is still doing his thing.

What do you think about all of these celebrity death hoaxes cropping up on Twitter from time to time? Drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts!