But before you shed tears for the Brazilian footballer, rejoice, for he has risen like a modern-day Lazarus!

It turns out that the rumors of Pele’s passing originated from Twitter, and CNN ran with them because… well, we don’t know. But being first is better than being right, right?

CNN issued the inevitable retraction.

Also issuing statements of their own were CNN employees, who blamed the Internet for spreading misinformation.

Agreed, Isa Soares. People do need to stop telling lies. And CNN needs to stop reporting them.

Fidel Martinez is an editor at Fusion.net. He's also a Texas native and a lifelong El Tri fan.