Singer Ian Watkins Death Is A Hoax

Yesterday it was reported through social media that Lost Prophets singer Ian Watkins had committed suicide.

Ian Watkins made headlines with acts of paedophilia and child sex offences and he was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 35 years in prison. A story from April that the singer committed suicide has surfaced on the Internet, but turned out to be a hoax.

The story came from Russian website The Internet Chronicle, which ran the story on April 2 that Watkins hung himself, but just surfaced on social media yesterday. The website has other similar fabricated stories of celebrity deaths including Lil Wayne, Akon, and Selena Gomez, as well as outlandish claims that Ukrainian forces have seized Moscow, and ancient aliens are cultivating life on earth.

Wales Online debunked the story speaking to a Prison Service spokesperson who confirmed the story is false. In January, Watkins was transferred from Wakefield Prison in Yorkshire to a Worchester jail, to be closer to his ill mother.

Former members of the band Lostprophets, who disbanded after Watkins’ arrest, are planning on forming a new band, according to Independent U.K.. No word yet on a name or a singer, but the musicians have already sealed a label deal with Rickly’s Collect Records.