Well, of course he is. But poor old Sly recently became the latest victim of one of those bizarre internet celebrity death hoaxes. Meanwhile, his Expendables 3 co-star Harrison Ford really did suffer a broken ankle on the Pinewood set of Star Wars: Episode VII. It's now being reported that Han Solo could miss up to eight weeks of filming.
The Stallone hoax originated on the Global Associated News website. It claimed Sly had died in a snowboarding accident: "The actor & novice snowboarder was vacationing at the Zermatt ski resort in Zermatt, Switzerland with family and friends. Witnesses indicate that Sylvester Stallone lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed. Sylvester Stallone was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash. The actor was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and drugs and alcohol do not appear to have played any part in his death."
The story swiftly spread via Twitter and Facebook, as these things do, with fans expressing their grief and condolences. But if anyone had actually bothered to check the grandly named Global Associated News site, they would have found that it's openly promoted as a 'fake celebrity news engine'. Users can simply enter names of celebrities and their locations to conjure up a selection of preposterous news stories. It's not even the first time this particular Stallone rumour has done the rounds. What's more, the same cut and paste story has been applied to a number of celebs.
No doubt Sly is reflecting wryly on the fact that his latest 'death' is adding to the publicity juggernaut for The Expendables 3. Featuring arguably the most impressive collection of vintage beefcake ever assembled for a single movie, its cast includes Stallone, Jason Statham, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Wesley Snipes and Antonio Banderas.
The Expendables 3 opens at Cineworld on 14th August. Which Expendable do you reckon would emerge victorious in a punch-up with the others? Let us know in the comments section below.
