Popular entertainer Ella Andall is alive and well. However, her family is now calling for an apology from media houses which yesterday reported that the singer had passed away, when in fact she was en route to London. In an interview yesterday, Andall’s brother-in-law Donald Hinkson said the false reports had caused the family a “great deal of discomfort” yesterday. He said they spent much of the day dispelling the inaccurate reports, both locally and internationally.
Early yesterday, reports surfaced on social media indicating that Andall had passed away. This was picked up and reported by some local media houses. Hinkson said he first heard the report around 8 am when he switched on his television. He said, however, that he was disturbed that the media houses did not seek to verify the information before running with it. “I am very uncomfortable that something like this could have happened without anyone checking with us, the immediate family,” he said.
He added that it would now be appropriate for the media houses which boldly reported that Andall had passed to issue apologies in a similar fashion. Asked if he had been told where the rumour first surfaced, he said: “We don’t have a clue.” However, he said it appeared that a blog posted early yesterday morning may have been the cause. “Apparently people picked up on it and spread the word, maybe there was a misinterpretation of the blog.”
Close friend of the family, Kurtis Gross, also confirmed the singer was alive and that the reports of her death were false. He confirmed she left for England yesterday and had arrive there safe and sound.