Mark Hamill panics fans after mocking fake death rumours

Mark Hamill caused a stir on social media after responding to false reports of his death in an unorthodox manner, momentarily scaring the life out of some of his fans.

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The Star Wars actor posted a photo of himself which was edited to look like an In Memoriam picture, along with the caption: “Hamill dies: much of nation mourns. GOP: Meh. #DontRushMe.”

Hamill has been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump and the GOP, otherwise known as the American Republican party.

HAMILL DIES: Much of Nation Mourns
GOP: Meh#DontRushMe pic.twitter.com/tCJDZKHFda

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) February 17, 2018

While the picture clearly states that he is alive and well, at a glance it doesn’t look good. Many of his fans tweeted that they had momentarily thought the post to be a confirmation of the false reports.

I panicked for a good 20 seconds… you… you… joker….

— DorkyDev (@DorkyDev) February 17, 2018

MR MARK HAMILL MY HEART STOPPED FOR A SECOND THERE DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN

— francy SAW BLACK PANTHER (@40sbcky) February 17, 2018

You gave me a heart attack!! https://t.co/k2GqPcebdv

— sayyam ••• (@OnlyBlackSheep) February 18, 2018

MARK I NEARLY HAD A HEART ATTACK I HATE YOU (NO I DON'T I LOVE YOU SO MUCH) https://t.co/gH4Xg7tL8a

— t'challa warrior alex (@tchallasmurdock) February 18, 2018

Trolling the Internet like a good Sith Lord, he is 🙂 https://t.co/k7bDefJlGx

— Rob Craddock (@robcraddock) February 18, 2018

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME https://t.co/Vi9DOQSbZ9

— kylo ran, MD (@deimachy) February 18, 2018

Bizarrely, it’s not the first time that Hamill has responded to false reports of his death.

In June 2017, he sent out a similar tweet in response to a now-deleted message from a fake Huffington Post account, which read: “BREAKING: Mark Hamill actor who played Luke Skywalker dies at 65. #MayTheForceBeWithYou #WildThoughts #Bloomsday #FridayFeeling”.

MUCH OF NATION MOURNS-RIP @HamillHimself a wonderful-underrated & beloved icon-Truly a legend in his own mind #SoGladIGotToMeetHim #KindaSad https://t.co/mmilUuJrlL

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) June 16, 2017

A similar incident occurred in February of last year, too.

In case anyone is keeping track of numbers, let's see if your current tweet beats the one in February this year. pic.twitter.com/nS3xExhpYK

— MarkHamillsLeftThumb (@HamillLeftThumb) June 16, 2017

In the fake news-laden terrain that is social media, it’s best to await confirmation from trusted sources before jumping to conclusions on these things (and remember to always take a closer look at Hamill’s tongue-in-cheek tweets).