'Refrigerator' Perry Dead? Internet Rumors Murder William Perry With Death Hoax

A mix-up caused the Internet to accidentally kill off William "Refrigerator" Perry, former defenseman for the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia during his 10-year NFL career. Perry's agent, brother and the so-called deceased himself dispelled rumors Wednesday after a TigerNet.com tweet reported that "Fridge" had died. The tweet has since been deleted, but the website said the mistake happened because it was reported that another man by the name William Perry had died. It failed to confirm if it was actually the NFL star, UPI reported.

Michael Dean, Perry's brother, caught word of the hoax when he began receiving calls about his brother's "death." Adam Plotkin, Perry's agent, told the Chicago Tribune that the confusion spread quickly and assured fans that Fridge was doing well.

"I guess someone called Michael Dean and said that someone found out that someone named William Perry died, but it wasn't the Fridge," Plotkin said. Someone from Clemson called us as well and said they had been getting a lot of calls and stuff. He is completely fine."

The speculation on Perry's death was not entirely unfounded, as his health has been in question ever since a 2011 article on ESPN.com where it reported that Perry was suffering from alcoholism, Guillian-Barre disease and more, USA Today reported. Perry tweeted Wednesday that he was taken aback by the hoax, but that he is alive and in good spirits.