Nelson Mandela Dead? Death Hoax Takes Twitter As South African Statesman Remains In Intensive Care

Despite what your Twitter says, Nelson Mandela is not dead. The South African statesman is still Intensive Care. While the death hoax surrounding Mandela has more credibility than several other recently launched ruses (it even tricked a few news outlets), the Nobel Peace Prize winner is still very much alive.

The former South African president is in a Pretorian hospital suffering with a lung infection and is in "serious but stable condition" according to current President Jacob Zuma.

The hoax started via a fake account under the name of CNN's Piers Morgan.

"Nelson Mandela's spokesman has confirmed the tragic news that the former leader died earlier this afternoon in his sleep," the tweet said.

Apparently, this fake Piers Morgan account has it out for Mandela. The account also said that Mandela had died in March.

Meanwhile, many South Africans are coming to grips with the declining health of the nation's first black president.

According to CNN, South Africa's Sunday Times ran the headline "It's time to let him go."

"You have been coming to the hospital too many times. Quite clearly you are not well and there is a possibility you might not be well again,"Mandela's longtime friend Andrew Mlangeni told the paper, referencing Mandela's four trips to the hospital since December.

"Once the family releases him, the people of South Africa will follow. We will say thank you, God, you have given us this man, and we will release him too," he added.

Mandela is the latest in a string of death hoaxes on Twitter that included Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Eminem, Johnny Depp and Abbie Cornish.