Is 'Mean' Joe Greene still alive? Fact-checking fake social media posts claiming Steelers legend had died

The internet has brought immense benefits since its creation, but one of the biggest flaws is that people can post false information and state it as fact. This has resulted in several rumors of a famous person's death sweeping social media, only for it to be debunked, and they are confirmed to be alive.

Pittsburgh Steelers legend "Mean" Joe Greene had rumors swirling on social media about his passing away on Friday, March 20. It was on the heels of Chuck Norris' death, which was, in fact, confirmed, so many were offering condolences to both people. The only caveat is that Greene had not passed and was still alive. 

Here is more on the online rumors that Greene had passed away. 

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Is 'Mean' Joe Greene still alive?

Yes. Despite rumors spreading across social media on the morning of the March 20, Greene has been confirmed to still be alive. 

'Mean' Joe Greene death post 

The rumors were sparked on Facebook but then spread more widely on X. The account "Johnny Cadillac" posted to their X profile that Greene had passed, and the post got more than 750k views. After the death was confirmed to be false, the account commented on its own post rather than deleting it and said they were also victims of false information and had unknowingly contributed to the rumor. 

This day keeps getting worse!! R.I.P. Mean Joe Greene!!! 😔 🙏 pic.twitter.com/NB8fKGUMyI

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Steelers statement on 'Mean' Joe Greene

The Steelers did not release an official statement on Greene. The franchise confirmed to TMZ and a source close to Sporting News that Greene was indeed alive and that the posts circulating on social media were false. 

Longtime NFL reporter John McClain also confirmed that Greene was still alive, saying he had spoken with the family directly and that they said Greene is not only alive but "doing great!"

'Mean' Joe Greene age

Greene was born on Sept. 24, 1946 and is 79 years old. He is most known for being the last surviving member of the Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense that dominated the 1970s. Greene was also in an iconic commercial where he exchanged his jersey for a Coke after a game.