The article: "Actress Betty White, 92, Dyes Peacefully In Her Los Angeles Home," published on fake or news satire website www.empirenews.net, has tricked a lot of people into believing that actress Betty White has died at the age of 92. The article writer uses the word "Dyes" deliberately in the title or headline, which many people mistakenly took as "dies".
But, if you read the entire article, you will notice that the author is referring to Betty White dying her hair, instead of her body dying. But the use of a homophone was done deliberately by the author to trick people into visiting the website, thinking Betty White has died.
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning.
- Dyes: a natural or synthetic substance used to add a colour to or change the colour of something
- Dies: pass away, pass on, lose one's life, depart this life
I have never heard of anyone dying his/her hair 'peacefully', so I can understand why a lot people mistakenly though the word was "dies". We often see the word "peacefully" together with the word "dies".
An Excerpt From the Article on the Fake News Website - www.empirenews.net
Actress Betty White, 92, Dyes Peacefully In Her Los Angeles Home
“Betty is a solitary kind of person,” said Witjas. “She likes to relax in her home with her animals, and she rarely likes to discuss the fact, at least in public, that she is actually a brunette. She has been dying her own hair in her home for decades. Betty has often told me she feels it is relaxing and soothing to dye her own hair, peacefully in her home, where she can laugh and enjoy time with her animals. She’s said on more than one occasion that as a blonde, she has had ‘more fun’ in her roles, and in life.”
Please do not take any article seriously on the website www.empirenews.net and it is important that you check with reputable or popular news websites to confirm any stories that you have read elsewhere.
Here is another article about Betty White: