"Randy Travis dead" left Randy Travis' fans worried after the phrase trended online.
Travis has been open about his health issues over the past years that affected his career in the music industry. His health issues also kept him from the spotlight for a long time.
His pals and colleagues will honor him in the upcoming tribute concert, "A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis," at Von Braun Center's Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., on Oct. 24 at 7 PM. But before the event, his fandom panicked after seeing the viral phrase online.
"Randy Travis Dead" Trends
The Sun noted that "Randy Travis dead" started after several YouTube videos falsely claimed that Travis had passed away. One of the videos garnered nearly 100,000 views after it showed the title "RIP! Randy Travis (1959-2023). The Singer will forever remain in the hearts of fans."
The hoax clip lasted for two minutes and 38 seconds, featuring a slideshow of the "Forever and Ever, Amen" singer and a voiceover that recounted the musician's life.
However, the media outlet has since debunked the claims that YouTube users have notoriously posted death rumors in the past few years whenever celebrities suddenly faced severe health issues.
It was not the first time the phrase trended, though.
In September 2021, the same words appeared on X - then Twitter - after Good Morning America's Michael Strahan mistakenly said "RIP" while talking about him on the show.
"Randy Travis, may he rest in peace," he said at that time after Good Morning America played one of Travis' songs.
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Randy Travis' Health Issues
The death hoax emerged weeks after Travis and his wife, Mary, appeared during a sit-down interview with Fox News Digital.
The 64-year-old "Deeper Than the Holler" singer, who now has limited speech in 2013 due to a stroke caused by aphasia, expressed his gratitude after the country stars arranged a concert to honor his career.
Meanwhile, Mary said it means a lot to them to see other singers continue to perform his songs and hear them say that Travis' music changed their lives.
"And so to have a tribute, that just means you did something right," Mary continued. "Somewhere along the line, that made a difference. And we don't want to forget that."
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