Posts falsely claim George Soros suffered fatal heart attack

This article is more than one year old.
Published on May 16, 2023 at 18:56
2 min read
By Natalie WADE, AFP USA

Social media posts say that billionaire financier George Soros died in mid-May 2023 after experiencing a heart attack. But this is a hoax; Soros debunked the claims on his personal Twitter account and a spokesperson at his foundation confirmed the rumors are false.

"BREAKING: George Soros has died of a violent heart attack, according to Politics For All Ireland," says a May 14, 2023 tweet, citing an eponymously named Twitter account. As of May 16, no such claim from the said account, which has a relatively meagre 1,505 followers, could be found despite archival searches.

Similar claims were shared elsewhere on Twitter and across social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook in multiple languages and in online articles.

But the claims are false, the 92-year-old has not died, nor did he have a heart attack.

"Rumors that I had a heart attack are completely false. I am alive and healthy," Soros said in a May 15 tweet addressing the rumors.

Rumors that I had a heart attack are completely false. I am alive and healthy.
— George Soros (@georgesoros) May 15, 2023

This was also confirmed by a representative at Soros' Open Society Foundation, one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States. "Rumors on social media that he suffered a heart attack and died are false," the spokesperson told AFP.

Additionally, no reputable news organization has reported his death as of May 16, though several wrote articles about the false claim of a heart attack.

Soros has long been the target of right-wing and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. AFP has debunked numerous false claims targeting the philanthropist here, here, here, here and here.

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