Just about everyone is talking about how crazy it is that so many notable personalities have passed away in the past couple weeks. The propagators of online rumors are well aware of this, and have already begun to take full advantage.

So far we have lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcet, Michael Jackson, and now famed “pitchman” Billie Mays. However, according to numerous tweets and random “celebrity bloggers”, pop icons Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus are the latest ones to bite the dust.

What motivates the instigators of internet rumors to spread these lies? Well, it could be a number of things, ranging from web profits to just plain old entertainment value. However, if you’re the subject of one of these rumors, is it really such a bad thing?

Since Michael Jackson passed away, his record sales have exploded. He is already dominating the UK music charts, and radio play of the King of Pop’s music here in the United States has increased by a whopping 1,735% since the news of his death.

Of course, baseless internet rumors can’t be expected to make the sort of impact as the death of Michael Jackson, but I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that such false rumors do benefit the artists involved to some extent, even if it is just a microcosm of the aforementioned effect.

Well, maybe it’s not quite that severe. But in any case, writer Ian Halperin recently spoke out about MJ’s alleged health problems in an interview for the Sunday Express, a UK publication.

Among the many ailments that Halperin claimed Jackson is suffering from include Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, a serious respiratory disease that is allegedly so far advanced that Jackson will need a lung transplant. He also states that Jackson suffers from several other health problems, including emphysema, internal bleeding, and even a near total loss of vision in one eye.

Halperin is currently working on an unauthorized biography of the legendary pop-star. It is unclear whether or not he actually has any reliable sources of information for these claims, or if it is merely a marketing ploy to drum up interest in his book.

However, a spokesman for Michael Jackson announced today in an official statement that the claims being made by Halperin are a “total fabrication” and that Jackson is in “fine health”. He also mentioned that Jackson is currently preparing for his next world tour, as well as a slew of television appearances.

It seems like no matter how far underground he goes, the King of Pop just can’t manage to stay out of the news.