Texas deejays Kramer & Twitch of Dallas station KEGL-FM triggered a worldwide panic Tuesday when they "reported" that Britney Spears died in a car accident in Los Angeles. Her boyfriend, 'N Sync crooner Justin Timberlake, also in the accident, got off a little easier. He was only in a coma.
The two "confirmed" the report, which aired during their 7-11 p.m. (CT) Extreme Night Time Radio show, by quoting representatives from Los Angeles' Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Although the story was completely concocted by the, um, wacky deejays, alarmed locals immediately took to the Internet with word of the supposed wreck, and the hoax took on a life of its own on newsgroups, fan sites and chat boards.
While some fans were rightly dubious, questioning why the report hadn't aired on MTV or CNN, the rumor continued to spread and other "details" began to emerge, including that Spears was speeding down the L.A. freeways in excess of 105 mph. To add insult to rumored injury, an empty flask of liquor was purportedly found in the wreckage.
Soon, the Los Angeles police and fire departments were fielding calls from dozens of concerned fans and reporters. While the L.A.P.D. refused to comment on the matter, other than to say the accident never occurred, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey told the Los Angeles Times that officials received over 100 calls, some from as far away as Australia and New Zealand. (A rep for Cedars-Sinai, however, said the celeb-friendly hospital didn't receive any calls, most likely because the facility morphed into "Mt. Sinai Hospital" in several of the alt.fan.britney-spears newsgroup postings.)
Meanwhile, reps for both Spears and 'N Sync on Wednesday tried to quash the out-of-control story. "There is no truth to the rumor circulating around the world that Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were involved in a car accident on Tuesday in Los Angeles," Sonia Muckle of Jive Records--both acts' label--said. "Spears and Timberlake are in great health. Timberlake is on tour with 'N Sync and Spears is currently in the studio recording her next album."
A KEGL spokeswoman said the station was bombarded with more than 200 calls and faxes regarding the hoax. The prankster deejays, who have been with the station for two years, are no strangers to controversy. During one broadcast, the two suggested that motorists either strike bicyclists with their car doors or simply run them over, which led to a short suspension. They also incurred thousands of dollars in fines by letting loose expletives over the airwaves. Although the station rep didn't know if the two would face any sort of disciplinary action for starting the Britney-Justin rumor, she did say the two were "called into the office."
And even though the hullaballoo has seemingly died down on the Web (message boards for the "I Support Justin and Britney" Yahoo fan club had no entries about the report, instead focusing heavily on the "Daddy Justin and Mommy Britney" message thread), Muckle of Jive Records says the controversy is not over yet.
"Representatives for both Spears and Timberlake are looking into the situation to determine the original source of the rumor," she said, "and if legal action is appropriate."