hackers of the rich and famous

Hacked Sony Music and Bob Dylan Twitter Accounts Falsely Reported Britney Spears Was Dead

iHeartRadio Music Festival - Day 2 - Backstage
Photo: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images

Early Monday morning, Britney Spears fans may have been sent into a panic when Sony Music’s official Twitter account posted a tweet falsely announcing the pop star’s death. The tweet — which utilized the hashtag #RIPBritney and a sad emoji, and has since been deleted — read, “RIP @britneyspears.†Many caught on to the hoax when a follow-up tweet posted minutes later read, “britney spears is dead by accident! we will tell you more soon.†Shortly thereafter, the account posted messages that credited hacker group Our Mine for a security breach. In the past, Our Mine has been responsible for hacking into many high-profile accounts, including Mark Zuckerberg’s, Channing Tatum’s, and Marvel’s Twitter. As part of Monday’s hacking sting, the group also appeared to take over Bob Dylan’s Twitter, posting, “Rest in peace @britneyspears,†and retweeting the original Sony post. The Nobel Prize winner’s account also then named Our Mine in a third tweet, signifying the responsible party. While Spears has yet to respond to the incident, her rep confirmed she is alive to CNN.

Hacked Sony Twitter Falsely Reports Britney Dead