Celebrity magazine People was left red-faced Friday after accidentally posting an obituary for Canadian singer Joni Mitchell on its website.
Just after 10:30 a.m., the People website showed an article with the headline: “Joni Mitchell Dies at TK AGE.”
The article, bylined Nicole Sands, reported “Joni Mitchell, the singer-songwriter who used her guitar as a confessional and in turn inspired a generation, has died. She was TK.”
“TK” is a placeholder used in journalism to indicate that information is “to come.”
Most major media outlets maintain a bank of celebrity obituaries that can be quickly updated and posted online when a famous person dies.
In a statement, People.com explained that it “inadvertently published a pre-written story earlier today incorrectly referencing the passing of Joni Mitchell. The post has been removed. We apologize for the error.”
The premature news of Mitchell’s death sparked a brief panic on social media.
Mitchell, 78, suffered a brain aneurysm in 2015. The singer has made a number of public appearances in recent years, including accepting the 2022 MusiCares Person of the Year honour in April and the Kennedy Center Honours last December. In July, she made a surprise appearance on stage at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.