George Clooney was the victim of an internet death hoax EPA

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SICK internet hoaxers have responded to the passing last week of stars Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett by spreading rumours about other celebrity deaths, including George Clooney and Britney Spears.

Clooney’s publicist was forced to respond to claims that the actor had become the latest high-profile casualty after being bombarded by calls from media and concerned friends.

And the web was ablaze with greatly exaggerated reports of Jurassic Park and Independence Day actor Jeff Goldblum’s death. At one stage the phrase “jeff goldblum dead” was in the top five most-searched trends on Google.

It was reported by a spoof news site that he fell 60 feet to his death while filming in New Zealand on 26 June.

Other celebrities quickly rubbished the reports. Fellow actor and adopted Londoner Kevin Spacey wrote on Twitter: “Jeff Goldblum is alive and well. I just spoke to his manager. Stop the stupid rumours,” while celebrity blogger Perez Hilton said on his blog: “Jeff Goldblum is NOT Dead! Stop the rumours.”

Similar rumours – death on location – spread about Harrison Ford and Natalie Portman.

Star Wars actress Portman was said to have been killed in an accident on the set of her latest movie, Swan Song, while Indiana Jones star Ford was said to have been on board a yacht that sank at sea.

"Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come"

The Britney rumour came from a familiar source – her own Twitter account. A message was posted saying: "Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come."

The message was rapidly followed by a correction, presumably from Spears’ associates, saying: "Britney's Twitter was just hacked. The last message is obviously not true. She is fine and dandy spending a quiet day at home relaxing."

It is not the first time Spears’ Twitter feed has been hacked. In January she apparently told fans: “Hi Yall! Brit Brit here, just wanted to update you all on the size of my vagina. Its about 4 feet wide with razor sharp teeth.” This turned out to be a hoax.