Jack Black is ALIVE

Hacked account tweets claim Hollywood star has died... then hours later insist it was 'just a prank, bro'

• Official Tenacious D account tweeted Jack Black has 'died at the age of 46'
• Hours later, the profile wrote: 'Calm down guys! It's just a prank bro' 
• Account is believed to have been taken over by a hacker called 'Ruthless'  
• Jack Black, 46, has been the victim of a number of recent death hoaxes

Social media was sent into a frenzy today after a hacked Twitter account claimed actor Jack Black had died overnight.   

Messages posted by Tenacious D, the comedy rock band co-founded by the comedian, said he had 'died at the age of 46', adding: 'The cause of death is yet unknown.'

But just hours later, the same profile wrote: 'Calm down guys! It's just a prank bro, look there's the camera...' It is believed the account had been taken over by a hacker calling themselves 'Ruthless'.

Black, 46, who was last seen in public two days ago, has been the victim of a number of death hoaxes, including one last week that went viral.

Black, who is known for his roles in King Kong, the School of Rock, and the Kung Fu Panda franchise, performed at Rock am Ring Music Festival, near Nurburgring, Germany on Friday night. 

He was also seen posing with American DJ Diplo for a picture posted on photo-sharing app Snapchat in the early hours of Sunday morning.  

Hours later, social media was sent into a frenzy by a series of tweets posted by the verified Tenacious D Twitter account.

The profile posted: 'I'm sad to officially annouce the death of Jack Black at the age of 46, rest in peace brother [sic].' It was followed minutes later by: '#RipJackBlack'. 

A third message read: 'It is with a heavy heart I am to announce that Jack Black passed away last night at 3:37am. The cause of death is yet unknown.'  

Guitarist John Konesky, who plays with Tenacious D, soon dismissed the rumours, writing: 'Twitter feed was hacked. Than s**t ain't true! They're working on fixing it!' 

But dozens of social media users were swept up in the speculation. One Twitter user wrote: 'OMG terrible news. What happened?' Another said: 'My heart just stopped. Tell me this is a joke.' 

A third tweeted: 'Hope to God the #JackBlack death claims are a haux please [sic]'. 

Others dismissed the posts as part of a cruel hoax. One user wrote: 'This is clearly fake. His death wouldn't be announced here, this is clearly some sick idiot that hacked this account'.  

Just hours later, the hacker posted four further messages - revealing the death announcement had been fake.

The account wrote: 'Calm down guys! It's just a prank bro, look there's the camera...' Followed minutes later by: 'The Legend is still alive, it is ok guys :)'  

The hacker later exploited the publicity by encouraging users to follow their account on Twitter.

It is the latest in a series of death hoaxes targeting Black in recent weeks. 

On Friday a Facebook page called 'R.I.P Jack Black' posted: 'At about 11 a.m. ET on Friday (June 03, 2016), our beloved actor Jack Black passed away. 

'Jack Black was born on August 28, 1969 in Santa Monica. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.'

Hundreds of fans posted condolence messages on the page, sending social media into a frenzy. The page was 'liked' by nearly one million users.   

Yesterday the actor's representatives released a statement dismissing speculation, saying he was 'alive and well'. It read: 'He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax.

'He's still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.'