Wikipedia wrongly reports WNC senator’s death

FRANKLIN – Sen. Jim Davis of Franklin says he has no idea how a story that he had died began circulating Friday morning.

Davis, R-Macon, was visiting family in Virginia when he got a call from Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale. Beale told Davis that he had heard from several people that Davis had died.

“Ronnie said he heard three times this morning that I had died of a heart attack,” Davis said Friday.

At 7:57 a.m. Friday, Davis’ Wikipedia page was updated showing a date of death as April 16, 2014.

The page read: “Davis died unexpectedly on April 16, 2014, of suspected heart attack. Aged 67, he collapsed while jogging in a park not far from his home.”

Wikipedia is the popular online encyclopedia that allows its users to update the information.

Whoever updated Davis’ page included links to news websites as sources, but the links did not work. The page was later updated saying Davis was “the victim of an apparent Wikipedia death hoax.”

Beale said he doesn’t know where the story that Davis had died came from, but by early Friday morning, he had heard it from three different people.

“I said ‘Has anybody tried to call him?’” Beale said. After he got the first two calls, Beale contacted Davis.

Sen. Tom Apodaca also called Davis. Davis represents the 50th District, which includes Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

“I’m just minding my own business up here, enjoying the weekend,” Davis said when reached by the Citizen-Times. “So I have no clue what’s going on, but I feel good.”