No, Cher fans, the singer and actress did not die. The Twitter hashtag "#nowthatchersdead" is meant to be read as "now Thatcher's dead" -- not "now that Cher's dead."
Margaret Thatcher, the United Kingdom's former prime minister, died Monday at age 87 following a stroke. Website Is Thatcher Dead Yet? quickly reacted, encouraging people to reveal how they're celebrating the death via tweets with hashtag #nowthatchersdead.
The hashtag sparked confusion and humor about Cher, the 66-year-old who has amassed 1.4 million Twitter followers with her quirky and sometimes non-sensical tweets (Mashable even included one of hers in its "50 Memorable Tweets of 2012" roundup):
I'm very confused with the hashtag #nowthatchersdead.Did Cher Die ?— Rainbow Pickering (@CARRICKISMYICON) April 8, 2013
I can't believe that Cher is dead. Do you believe in life after love?— Nicholas Mulligan (@nickmulligan) April 8, 2013
Did Cher die? #nowthatchersdead twitter.com/alpower81/stat…— Al Power (@alpower81) April 8, 2013
Finally made it into the Wall Street Journal and it's for being a confused Cher fan. Typical.— Nick Frost (@Nick_Frost) April 8, 2013
Some people are in a frenzy over the hashtag #nowthatchersdead.It's "Now Thatcher's dead". Not, "Now that Cher's dead" JustSayin'— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) April 8, 2013
Other than promoting #nowthatchersdead, the Is Thatcher Dead Yet? site is prompting people to join Facebook parties related to Thatcher's death and listen to a Spotify playlist titled "Until Thatcher's Dead." The site also has shared these messages on Twitter:
Verified.— Is Thatcher Dead Yet (@thatcherdeadyet) April 8, 2013
Yes. fb.me/2hK5zAlpP— Is Thatcher Dead Yet (@thatcherdeadyet) April 8, 2013
Nope. She's not here.— Princess Diana (@DianaInHeaven) April 8, 2013