Record producer Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Gottwald) is not dead, according to his manager via People’s Tomás Mier. But, allegedly thanks to a Doja Cat stan, for a few hours last night the internet totally believed it. The producer behind Doja Cat’s “Say So†was trending on Twitter after what’s believed to be a fake screenshot of an Instagram post announcing his death went viral. The image appeared to be of Gottwald’s wife, Jessica, sharing his death with the world. “I am heartbroken to say that my husband passed away Wednesday night,†it read. “He passed away due to coronavirus as he has been dealing with it since April.†Gottwald had not previously announced that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. The image also appeared to reference controversy surrounding Dr. Luke, whom pop star Kesha accused of sexual assault and emotional abuse in 2014. “He was a good man and people tried to make him seem like he was a bad guy even thought he wasn’t,†it reads.
But the Photoshopped image was just a delayed prank. While Gottwald’s manager confirmed that he is alive by saying, “It is not true. Account was hacked,†a Doja Cat stan account claimed ownership for the doctored photo. “I FAKED A SCREENSHOT OF DR LUKE’S WIFE SAYING LUKE PASSED AWAY ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO AND ITS TRENDING WTFNJ BJHFREBUHHIFRIHJ,†@DOJADIOR tweeted. Take the news back to Twitter: Dr. Luke is alive, presumably well, and still collecting for all those “Say So†streams this summer.