Paul is not dead.
The last time I wrote that sentence, it was 1969 and we were discussing the Beatles. Today, the subject of the Paul-is-dead rumor, which first appeared on the Internet on Sunday, is legendary French chef Paul Bocuse.
Word appeared on the website necropedia.com, which posts "anticipated obituaries" of famous people (you can find obits for
One of those fooled, albeit briefly, was
"He ate here twice," Nahabedian said, "and when he learned my father had been part of the liberation of Paris, he wrote my father such a beautiful letter, and my dad has it hanging in a frame. I was so glad to hear he was alive and well, because I was thinking how to tell my father."
The rumor was first shot down by British food writer Elizabeth Auerbach (@ElizabethOnFood), who tweeted, "Paul Bocuse is alive and well, I've spoken with the restaurant" early Monday morning.
"Why would somebody spread that?" Nahabedian said. "It's just so nasty; it makes you hate the Internet more."
Jean Banchet, founder and chef of the legendary restaurant Le Francais, also confirmed that the rumor was untrue.
"I just called the restaurant, and I know he's not (dead)," Banchet said. "In fact, he's coming to Florida for a visit. (Banchet's son, Jerome, runs Bocuse's restaurants in