In the early hours of the morning today, fans were stunned and saddened to see a tweet from music group Tenacious D announcing the death of Jack Black, one of their members and an actor and comedian known for roles in films like Goosebumps and Shallow Hal.
Lucky for all involved, except maybe one troll who’s probably talking with the police right now, it was just a prank. The tweet was apparently sent after Tenacious D’s Twitter account was hacked.
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WE had our Twitter account hacked. We can assure you that Jack is ALIVE and WELL and that this was a sick “prank”.
— Tenacious D (@RealTenaciousD) June 5, 2016
Tencacious D was formed in 1994 and rose to national awareness in 1997. They perform as a music act, but have also headlined their own TV show and movie. They’re currently touring Europe, with stops in Denmark and Sweden scheduled in the next month or so.
Black is best known in the U.S. for his role in movie comedies like School of Rock, but was at one point considered for a role as Green Lantern in what would have been a more comedic take on the character than the movie Warner Bros. eventually made. Fan response to those casting rumors was not good, and it’s been rumored that the studio bailed on the idea as much because they were afraid of moviegoers ignoring the movie as because they actually thought the movie itself wouldn’t work.
Besides Tenacious D, Black has a decades-long collaborative relationship with Tim Robbins; Robbins directed him in Bob Roberts, Dead Man Walking, and Cradle Will Rock, and the two appeared together on HBO’s The Brink, which was cancelled after one season.
