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Mark Pilgrim asks fans not to share ‘fake news around his condition’ after false death reports
Mark Pilgrim.
Photo: Instagram/@markpilgrimza
- Mark Pilgrim is alive and continues his recovery journey as he battles stage four lung cancer.
- On Thursday night news of the radio presenter’s death began circulating online.
- HOT1027 FM, where Pilgrim worked before and during his diagnosis, released a statement confirming that it was fake news.
Mark Pilgrim is alive and continues his recovery journey as he battles stage four lung cancer.
On Thursday night, news of the radio presenter’s death began circulating online after a Facebook post shared by a man named James Pilgrim announced the death of his brother-in-law, Mark.
HOT1027 FM, where Pilgrim worked before and during his diagnosis, released a statement confirming that it was fake news.
“HOT1027 would like to inform the public that Mark Pilgrim has not passed on. Social media posts suggesting he’s died are incorrect. Mark has asked that people refrain from sharing fake news around his condition.”
— said HOT1027 MD Lloyd Madurai
In the Facebook post, James Pilgrim writes of his brother-in-law’s fight against cancer, leading social media users to believe the person he was referring to was South Africa’s Mark Pilgrim.
“I just want to let everyone know that my brother-in-law Mark passed away peacefully early this am. Mark had cancer and was given 6-12 months live, but he fought it for 22 months,” the post reads.
Attached to the post are photos of a man who is not South Africa’s Mark Pilgrim. Instead, they are of Mark Pilgrim, who lived in Alabama in the US.
South Africa’s Mark Pilgrim has since retweeted HOT1027 FM’s statement and continues to share regular updates on his condition.
His most recent saw the beloved 53-year-old spend time with his daughters and three special visitors.
Days before, Pilgrim shared that he had resumed chemotherapy and immunotherapy after a months-long recovery from a collapsed lung.
READ MORE | Mark Pilgrim resumes chemotherapy after recovery from collapsed lung
News24 has reached out to Pilgrim for comment and will add it if and when it is received.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
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