Dog the Bounty Hunter dispels death hoax on social media: 'I'm alive'

Duane "Dog" Chapman is still very much with us, despite a bizarre death hoax that made the rounds on social media this week.

A fake news story reporting his death was widely shared on Facebook on Wednesday, claiming the Dog the Bounty Hunter star died from a pulmonary embolism. The fake post also claimed his health was in decline after his wife Beth Chapman, 51, died from throat cancer in June.

The false report was so convincing that fans flooded his social media accounts with condolences. But Chapman put minds to rest today by sharing a photo of himself holding a handwritten sign that read "I'm alive" in one hand, and The Denver Post newspaper, proving the date of when the photo was taken, in the other.

TMZ reported that he was heading to the gym when his mobile phone was flooded with calls and messages from loved ones thinking the hoax was real, but the site confirmed Chapman is doing fine.

The hoax comes two months after Chapman was hospitalised with a "heart-related emergency" and four months after his store was robbed and some of late wife Beth's belongings were stolen. Two weeks after Beth passed away, their son Leland, 42, was  hospitalised after taking down a bail-jumping suspect with his father.

Three weeks ago, Chapman paid tribute to Beth on what would have been her 52nd birthday by sharing clips of them together on their most recent reality series, Dog's Most Wanted, which he captioned: "There will never be another like you. Happy birthday Beth! We [love] you!"