No, Hardcore Pawn star Les Gold is not dead
‘Hardcore Pawn’ star Les Gold has died.
On April 9, 2023, a death hoax circulated online claiming that “Hardcore Pawn” star Les Gold had died.
“RIP Les Gold 1950-2023” is a TikTok video claims. It featured pictures of Gold, including an appearance on Good Morning America and with his family.
(twitter)
We also found the claim repeated Twitteralong with a link pointing to a URL (https://cbs-news.us/) which appeared to be a forgery of the CBS News domain name. The website at this URL then disappeared.
Gold is not dead. His son, Seth Gold, posted a Video to his verified TikTok account, who addressed the video on April 10, 2023. Gold appeared in the video and said:
“As you can see, I’m not dead. But I appreciate all the comments that were made about how concerned they were that I died.”
He also posted the video on his own TikTok account, with which subtitle “THE RUMORS ARE FALSE!”
Even before the video was released, no reputable source had reported Gold’s death. If the claim were true, obituaries and memorials paying tribute to his life and career would have been published.
We’ve previously fact-checked claims about the deaths of other celebrities, including false claims that Steve Harvey and Tina Turner died.
Sources
“Darnell Jawatowitz on TikTok.” Tick tockAccessed April 10, 2023.
“Fact Check: Is Les Gold Dead or Alive? American Pawnbroker Death Scam Debunked.” PKB News.
Ibrahim, Nur. “Tina Turner is not dead, despite YouTube death scam.” snoutJanuary 24, 2023
LaMagdeleine, Izz Scott. “Steve Harvey is still alive despite online death scam.” snoutMarch 5, 2023
“Seth Gold on TikTok.” Tick tockAccessed April 10, 2023.