2016 was a rough year for celebrity deaths. The world lost Prince, David Bowie and now George Michael, among others. But despite an erroneous tweet from Sony Music’s account Monday morning, pop icon Britney Spears is not on that list.
The Sony Music Global Twitter account sent a tweet Monday morning that said, “RIP @britneyspears :( #RIPBritney 1981-2016.” Then it sent a follow up tweet saying, “britney spears is dead by accident! We will tell you more soon #RIPBritney :(“.
Both tweets have since been deleted.
A representative for Spears confirmed to CNN on Monday that the singer is alive and well. Sony has not commented about whether the tweets were the result of a hack.
Fans of Spears, including Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Dylan, had already begun tweeting their sympathies. “Rest in peace @britneyspears :(” was sent from Dylan’s verified account Monday morning.
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Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.Rogers@time.com