Kanye West Dead?

A rumor ripped across the internet on Wednesday morning  that singer Kanye West was dead.  The report was false.

It is believed to have started on social networking site Twitter.

The phrase " RIP Kanye West " was one of the top tags on Twitter in the early hours on Wednesday and the phrase "Kanye West Dead" was the top search trend on Google overnight.

The shows how rapidly false information can travel because of social networking sites.

West has had an ongoing battle with Twitter.  He's been upset with people setting up fake twitter accounts using his name.  In May, he posted an angry post on his blog saying he didn't even have a twitter account CLICK HERE FOR BLOG (EXPLICIT LANGUAGE) .

Someone who is cynical might wonder if this is all just a publicity stunt for a new $50 Kanye West tour book that just went on sale on Amazon .

West infamously took the microphone from singer Taylor Swift as she accepted the "Best Female Video" award during the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009 in New York City.  He apologized to Swift for the incident and she forgave him.

On October 1st a U.S. and Canadian tour by Kanye West and Lady Gaga was cancelled without a reason being given.