People Magazine Accidentally Declares Kirk Douglas Dead. He’s Not.
Image by Getty Images
By Anne Cohen December 1, 2014
Getty Images
Kirk Douglas will be celebrating his 98th birthday next week. But not according to People Magazine, who accidentally published the actor’s obituary on their website.
“DO NOT PUB Kirk Douglas Dies”
“Kirk Douglas, one of the few genuine box-office names to emerge just as TV was overtaking American culture in the years right after World War II, died TK TK TK,” the article said, with the “TK” referring to copy “to come.”
“He was 97 (DOB 12/9/1916) and had been in good health despite having suffered a debilitating 1996 stroke that rendered his speech difficult,” the article continued.
Well, that’s awkward. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the article is timestamped September 29, though it’s unclear when it was actually published on the magazine’s website.
To be fair to People, this is every news organization’s worst nightmare. At least Kirk Douglas knows that he will be remembered, even if it’s a little in advance.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
