Russell Brand is not dead. The 50-year-old British actor and comedian became the subject of a viral death rumour on 10 March after conservative commentator Dan Bongino posted an unnamed tribute on X that thousands of users mistakenly interpreted as being about Brand.
Bongino, a former FBI Deputy Director who now hosts a conservative radio programme, has more than seven million followers on the platform. He shared two photographs alongside the caption: 'There won't be another. One of the saddest days of my life. He was just different. And everyone who knew him knew it. May God rest your soul.'
One of the images showed Bongino sitting alongside Brand and the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a panel. The second showed Bongino in an FBI jacket speaking with an agent from the bureau's Evidence Response Team. With Brand prominently positioned in the first photograph and no name attached to the post, users drew the wrong conclusion.
X user Jackson Clarke, who has around 39,000 followers,retweeted Bongino's postat 7:41 p.m. ET and wrote: 'I can't believe this is how I found out Russell Brand is dead.' The tweet helped propel the false claim further, drawing thousands of replies and likes within hours. Other users responded with confusion, with one writing: 'Wait... what? Is Russell Brand actually dead?'
I can't believe this is how I found out Russell Brand is deadhttps://t.co/1u3p6uueX6
There won’t be another. One of the saddest days of my life.He was just different. And everyone who knew him, knew it.May God rest your soul.pic.twitter.com/Bn524GdjKx
Bongino was mourningCharlie Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was assassinated on 10 September 2025 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck by a rooftop gunman during an outdoor campus debate event as part of his American Comeback Tour. Around 3,000 people were in attendance at the time.
Tyler Robinson, 22, from Washington County, Utah, was arrested the following day and charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 2026.
Bongino's tribute landed on the six-month mark of Kirk's killing. As FBI Deputy Director at the time of the assassination, Bongino personally oversaw the federal investigation into Kirk's death and has spoken publicly about Kirk as a close personal friend on numerous occasions. He left the bureau earlier this year and returned to broadcasting in February 2026 with Cumulus Media's Westwood One.
Several users in the replies to Bongino's post eventually clarified that the tribute was about Kirk, not Brand. There are no reports of Brand being ill, hospitalised, or in any medical distress. The death claim is false.
Source: International Business Times UK
