Kirk Douglas obituary accidentally published by People
- Published
Kirk Douglas starred in Spartacus with Tony Curtis and Laurence Olivier
Kirk Douglas is alive and well, despite his obituary being published online by People magazine on Sunday.
Under the headline DO NOT PUB Kirk Douglas Dies, the magazine accidentally posted a pre-written tribute to the actor, who turns 98 this month.
The post listed details about Douglas's life and career spanning six decades, including his 1956 Vincent Van Gogh biopic Lust for Life.
The obituary, which sparked reaction on Twitter, has been removed.
Most magazines and newspapers have obituaries for famous people prepared
It is unclear whether the tribute, which had a date stamp of 29 September, had been online for two months.
It read: "Kirk Douglas, one of the few genuine box-office names to emerge just as TV was overtaking American culture in the years right after World War II, died TK TK TK. He was 97 (DOB 12/9/1916) and had been in good health despite having suffered a debilitating 1996 stroke that rendered his speech difficult."
Douglas starred in his first movie in 1946 - the classic film noir The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.
His other films include Gunfight at the OK Corral, Lonely Are the Brave and Cast a Giant Shadow.
The actor has received three Oscar nominations during his career, for Lust for Life, The Bad and the Beautiful and Champion.
Although he never won, Steven Spielberg presented him with an honorary Academy award in 1996.
Many people took to Twitter after discovering the obit on People magazine's website
It is common for media outlets to write obituaries of celebrities or important figures in advance.
In 2008, Bloomberg made a similar mistake when it reported Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had died, three years before his actual death in 2011.
People has yet to comment on its Douglas error.