Wikipedia pronounced Rush Limbaugh dead at least two times today – and the free “encyclopedia” relied on information from a spoof blog that later declared the talk radio icon had become a “vampire” who craves “virgin’s blood.”
Just this morning around 8 a.m. EST, Wikipedia announced, “It has been reported that Limbaugh has died in a Hawaii hospital.”
 Wikipedia declares Rush Limbaugh dead and cites blog’s spoof obituary. |
A Wikipedia note stated, “This article is about a person who has recently died.”
The announcement was later removed from Limbaugh’s Wikipedia profile. Then a death date appeared on Limbaugh’s Wikipedia profile again at 1:24 p.m. EST.
 Wikipedia declares Rush Limbaugh dead. |
The so-called “encyclopedia” linked only one source for its claim: the Blanca DeBree Blog. On Dec. 30, the blog issued an obituary, declaring, “Rush Limbaugh dead at age 58.”
The following is a screenshot of the original blog posting:
 This spoof obituary was posted by a blogger on Dec. 30 and linked by Wikipedia on a profile for Rush Limbaugh today. |
Only a day later, the Blanca DeBree Blog poked fun of Limbaugh’s condition with a new posting, “Rush Limbaugh’s condition upgraded to undead.”
“Rush Limbaugh, media titan and conservative talk show host, was rushed to the hospital in Hawaii yesterday complaining of chest pains. He was admitted in serious condition. His condition deteriorated, and several hours later he was placed in critical condition. Shortly before midnight he was declared dead,” blogger Blanca DeBree wrote. “This morning doctors at Queens Medical Center upgraded his condition from dead to undead.”
But DeBree doesn’t stop there. The blogger writes that as nurses prepared the body for removal, Limbaugh came back to life.
“Mr. Limbaugh appeared to regain consciousness and started to complain about socialized healthcare, calling the staff a bunch of Obamacommunists, and asking one African-American nurse to take the bone out of her nose so she could b–w him.”
DeBree said Limbaugh had no pulse, respiration or temperature.
“Additionally, he no longer cast a reflection in any mirror, and seemed to be greatly disturbed by a crucifix pendant one of the younger nurses was wearing around her neck,” the blogger wrote. “It was then that Mr. Limbaugh began to request unusual objects, such as a coffin and earth from his lair. He also started to have cravings for virgin’s blood.”
The following is a portion of the blog posting:
 Blog cited by Wikipedia pokes fun of Limbaugh after initially reporting the talk host was dead. |
DeBree dubs Limbaugh a “clansman” who has spewed “so many fabrications and lies for so long, it was just a matter of time before Limbaugh’s soul would escape his body, looking for a more suitable host, preferably one with a conscious and not destined for Hell.”
The posting continues, “The soul probably wandered around for a while, possibly entering Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, and Sean Hannity, before determining these vessels were neither compatible nor desirable for the eternal spirit of Rush. It is then, I theorize, that his soul made its way into a new born child: an innocent vessel, without sin.”
DeBree claims Limbaugh will no longer perform his day show.
“Clear Channel has yet to make a statement, but it is expected that he will either move his show to after dark or may simply change vocations and work as a spokesman for Satan,” the blog states. “However, since Rush Limbaugh has been the leader of the Republican Party for so long, this job may be redundant.”
At least one Wikipedia editor mistook the blog posting for truth and posted it in a profile on Limbaugh. In reality, Limbaugh was rushed to Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday afternoon with chest pains and is said to be recovering.
The “Rush Limbaugh Show” website featured a statement to the media today, stating, “Rush was admitted to a Honolulu hospital yesterday and is resting comfortably after suffering chest pains. Rush appreciates your prayers and well wishes. He will keep you updated via RushLimbaugh.com and on Thursday’s radio program.”
 Rush Limbaugh |
Filling in for Limbaugh today, Walter E. Williams, economist and WND columnist, said Limbaugh felt he was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. Doctors have not confirmed whether it was a heart attack.
DeBree isn’t the only person poking fun of Limbaugh’s condition and wishing him dead. Twitter was abuzz with bloggers posting comments such as the following:
- Come on 2009! There’s time for one more!!
- Rush Limbaugh is in the hospital with severe chest pains. … God if u can read this tweet please give him a black doctor.
- Come on God, I don’t ask you for much, and I very rarely ask you to smite anyone. But please kill Rush Limbaugh tonight.
Likewise, bloggers at DemocraticUnderground.com have flocked to the website to post jokes at Limbaugh’s expense. Even the New York Daily News joined in with a critical report, calling Limbaugh a “loud mouth.”
 TMZ poll shows 43 percent of respondents don’t want LImbaugh to “get well soon.” |
Meanwhile, a full 43 percent of voters in today’s poll by TMZ.com said they do not want Limbaugh to recover soon.
As WND reported, the Limbaugh death announcement on Wikipedia is just one more instance of Wikipedia editors posting falsehoods, misinformation and unsourced claims in biographies of living people. WND founder Joseph Farah was recently characterized as a “Zionist twit and Jew-loving pig,” a “known [expletive] sucker,” “closet homosexual,” “conspiracy theorist,” “white supremacist,” a “proud member of the Ku Klux Klan,” a “religious nutcase” and “a pioneer in the political uses of psychedelics.”
WND also reported in December 2008 when the Wikipedia made the following claims:
- Barack Obama “is a member of the Nudist Party.”
- Sen. Ted Stevens participated in “kinky sex adventures.”
- Sen. John McCain “looks like a pig.”
- Hillary Clinton’s conception was “a complete accident,” and when she was born, “she had clubbed feet and her arms bent the wrong way.”
The self-described “free encyclopedia that anyone can edit” claims federal law protects it from liability of its users’ edits because it operates an “interactive computer service.”
Wikipedia tells the public, “Don’t be afraid to edit – anyone can edit almost any page, and we encourage you to be bold! Find something that can be improved, whether content, grammar or formatting, and make it better.”
Note: Concerned individuals may contact the Wikimedia Foundation. Share your own Wikipedia horror stories in WND’s new forum.
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WND Staff