AFI Breaks Up. Or Have They?

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 09: Musicians Jade Puget, Adam Carson, Hunter Burgan and Davey Havok of the band AFI visit fuse TV's "Distortion" at fuse Studios on October 9, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)

After twenty years and eight albums, AFI have announced on their website that they have officially called it quits. Here’s a post from their message board authored by “Davey”:

“ We as a band have decided to disband A.F.I.
” “This is the end. Sorry, but AFI is done. After more than 15 years of being together, we as a band have decided to disband A.F.I. Me and Jade will still continue the Blaqk Audio project but there will be no more A.F.I albums or shows. We have matured and have other things in life that we would like to attend to. Please forgive us for the random statement but it was something we were thinking of for a while. We will post a more detailed statement soon, keep your eyes peeled!”

“ That's not Dave. The band haven't broken up. Someone is just screwing around.
” Band Management Welcome to the world of hacking. First off, to be clear, AFI has not broken up. From AFI’s management, “That’s not Dave. The band haven’t broken up. Someone is just screwing around.”

But this is another reminder of how powerful–and vulnerable–the internet can be. News feeds exploded this morning reporting the breaking news. Credible websites scurried to get an article up ASAP. Obituaries were quickly written up with all of them, coincidentally, sounding vaguely familiar. And for a brief time, before AFI debunked the rumor as a hoax, people sincerely believed the band was no more.

We’re here to tell you, especially in the internet age where videos go viral, that you can’t believe everything you read! Don’t believe us? Here are a couples of hoaxes that gained traction online.