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After country singer Joe Diffie died from coronavirus complications, conspiracy theories emerged online alleging that his cause of death was due to something else.
Diffie, who topped the charts in the 1990s with honky-tonk singles including “Home” and “Pickup Man," died in Nashville, Tenn., on March 29 after he tested positive for the virus. He was 61.
In the days following his death, Facebook and Twitter users posing as Internet sleuths falsely claimed media reports hid that he had lung cancer. He did not. The untrue claims appear to have stemmed from an obituary posted online for Diffie’s father, Joe Diffie Sr., who passed away in November 2018 from cancer.
COUNTRY STAR JOE DIFFIE DEAD FROM CORONAVIRUS COMPLICATIONS AT AGE 61
Joe Diffie performing at the 12th annual ACM Honors in Nashville, Tenn. (Al Wagner/Invision/AP, File)
Joe Diffie’s widow, Tara Terpening Diffie, pleaded on Instagram for people to stop sharing the misinformation about her husband. In a statement, she said she hoped to set the record straight about her husband’s death so that their family can focus on grieving for Joe Diffie and celebrating the Grand Ole Opry member’s legacy.
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“There have been some untrue statements about my late husband that are false and hurtful," Tara Terpening Diffie said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “Joe did not have lung cancer and was a healthy, loving father, husband and friend. He also kept a very busy touring schedule and loved his fans who’ve supported him all these years.”
The inaccurate claim about Joe Diffie is one of many from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube users seeking to sow doubt about the impact of coronavirus. Many of them claim that health officials, government leaders and media outlets have overblown the danger of the virus, millions being infected with it worldwide.
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Diffie, a native of Tulsa, Okla., died just days after announcing he had contracted the coronavirus. He is survived by his wife and seven children from four marriages.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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