Imagine seeing your own death make the news. That is what happened to actress Clelia Murphy, the latest Fair City star to fall victim to a cruel online obituary hoax.
Who Is Clelia Murphy?
Clelia is famed for playing formidable and fiery Niamh Brennan, a core resident of the fictional Dublin suburb Carrigstown. She is best known for her tumultuous relationship with fellow Dubliner Paul Brennan and her vengeful embezzlement plot to pay Paul back for sleeping with love rival Hayley Collins. She departed the show in 2017 after almost two decades on the Irish soap, running off to Fiji with Paul's life savings.
The Hoax
But Clelia had to deal with drama offscreen recently when she quashed rumours that she had passed away thanks to false reports on social media. A Facebook page posted pictures of Clelia and her husband, Neil Casley, on their wedding day, with a message claiming to be written by her other half. The fake post claimed: 'With a heavy heart, I share the news that my wife, Clelia Murphy, passed away this morning. We have lost a sacred bond, leaving behind a void that can never be filled.'
The post continued: 'Clelia will always be remembered for her warm smile, kind heart, and deep love for her family. May you rest in a peaceful heaven, free from pain — until the day we meet again. Cre: Neil Casserly.' Hours later, another post on the same Facebook page said: 'We woke to devastating news — Clelia Murphy has passed away this morning. It doesn't feel real..'
Setting the Record Straight
However, rumours of Clelia's death were greatly exaggerated, and the actress was quick to speak up and clear up these distressing rumours. Actress Stefanie Preissner took to Instagram to post a picture of her pal smiling, writing: 'She's not dead! (There's a Facebook post doing the rounds @cleliamurphy is dead. She's not).'
Clelia then re-shared the post to her own Instagram account, as comedian PJ Gallagher joked underneath: 'She needs to be holding today's newspaper'.
Not the First Victim
Clelia is not the only one to be the victim of a sick death hoax. A number of her fellow Fair City stars, past and present, have been targeted by fake obituaries online in recent months. Bryan Murray, who played Bob Charles, and Jim Bartley, who portrayed Bela Doyle, have both been victimised by false death reports in recent months.
Just last month, Rory Cowan, who also starred in Mrs. Brown's Boys, denied rumours while Maclean Burke, famed for playing Damien Halpin, has been targeted more than once.
