# Nelson Mandela dead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054 "2013-02-12T03:21:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![donnie\_darko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@donnie\_darko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnie_darko)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/1 "2013-02-12T03:21:51Z")
Has anyone else heard those stories about people swearing Nelson Mandela died or was executed? Was there some false report of his death that spawned this legend? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/2 "2013-02-12T03:24:43Z")
He was in the hospital for most of December because of a lung infection and gallstones. I think weird rumors about his death just circulate in South Africa from time to time because he’s so renowned and so elderly and because of the country’s problems. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/3 "2013-02-12T03:27:43Z")
As of this morning at 7:29am, he was “comfortable and relaxed”. > [@](#): > > President Jacob Zuma on Sunday visited former president Nelson Mandela at his Johannesburg home to convey “good wishes”. > > “He had the brightest smile, and it was exciting to discuss with him the upcoming state of the nation address and the Afcon tournament,” Zuma said in a statement. [http://news.iafrica.com/sa/841741.html](http://news.iafrica.com/sa/841741.html) ---
**Author:** ![yendis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed8c4c/32.png) [@yendis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yendis)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/4 "2013-02-12T08:37:15Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He was in the hospital for most of December because of a lung infection and gallstones. I think weird rumors about his death just circulate in South Africa from time to time because he’s so renowned and so elderly and because of the country’s problems. What bugs me is that the rumours often start outside the country, in a British tabloid for example, and then appear here. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/5 "2013-02-12T13:35:39Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > As of this morning at 7:29am, he was “comfortable and relaxed”.[http://news.iafrica.com/sa/841741.html](http://news.iafrica.com/sa/841741.html) Look, you’re not fooling anyone. Into the cart you go. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/6 "2013-02-12T13:39:20Z")
I just heard he died in a snowboarding accident. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/7 "2013-02-12T13:48:15Z")
> [@donnie\_darko](#): > > … or was executed? Somewhat ill-timed, wouldn’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/8 "2013-02-12T14:21:55Z")
Irrelevant trivia point - [apparently](http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2013/02/nelson-mandela-toddlers-and-tiaras) Mandela’s a fan of _Toddlers and Tiaras_… ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/9 "2013-02-12T16:33:14Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > Look, you’re not fooling anyone. Into the cart you go. I think I’ll just go for a walk… BTW, if you ever get a chance to see this Jonathan Demme-produced documentary on Mandela, I hope you will - well-done, powerful and uplifting: [Mandela (1996) - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116980/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/10 "2013-02-12T17:22:12Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I just heard he died in a snowboarding accident. No, just tore his knee. Doubtful he’ll recover in time for next year’s Olympics, though. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/11 "2013-02-12T20:30:27Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > No, just tore his knee. Doubtful he’ll recover in time for next year’s Olympics, though. Tiger Woods apparently sent his private jet to bring NM home. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/12 "2013-02-12T20:40:49Z")
He’s not at Parkland Memorial Hospital is he? ---
**Author:** ![donnie\_darko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@donnie\_darko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnie_darko)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/13 "2013-02-12T21:06:40Z")
Actually the rumor was he died in prison before he was released. It’s a very old urban legend. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/14 "2013-02-12T21:59:03Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > I just heard he died in a snowboarding accident. I heard he set himself on fire on stage in front of a crowd of fans during his final concert. Wait, wrong South African death rumor. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/15 "2013-02-13T00:56:32Z")
I’m sorry, but he’s just too old to be bungee-jumping off the Voortrekker Monument… ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/16 "2013-02-13T01:29:05Z")
I heard he was retiring. Said he was no longer physically able carry out the duties of The Most Famous South African anymore. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/17 "2013-02-14T23:20:49Z")
That ‘brightest smile’ bit, upthread, makes me think that he’s just a breathing machine away from death as we speak. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/18 "2013-02-14T23:21:50Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > No, just tore his knee. Doubtful he’ll recover in time for next year’s Olympics, though. Update: Just ‘accidentally’ shot his girlfriend. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/19 "2013-06-24T00:03:18Z")
Nelson Mandela has been in the hospital these past couple of weeks, but BBC TV now has at the top of the news that his health has taken a critical downward turn these past 24 hours. It’s turned into an real death watch now. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054/20 "2013-06-24T01:31:03Z")
> [@donnie\_darko](#): > > Actually the rumor was he died in prison before he was released. It’s a very old urban legend. So first you go about asking ‘whether anyone has heard about this’? and just a handful posts later you assert with confidence that ‘It’s a very old urban legend?’. If you know, then why start the thread? What’s your game here? Just asking questions? I can do that too. Has anyone heard rumors that the OP is starting threads with misleading titles that suggest famous people that are in the hospital have passed on, with the purpose of attracting attention from the people on the internet and getting them riled up, all the while hiding behind the excuse that he is ‘just asking questions’ when he’s not actually looking for answers? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nelson-mandela-dead/650054.md?page=2)