Steve Irwin daughter. Celebrity death hoaxes are older than the internet itself, but it wasn't until the advert of the online-age that they became such a common occurrence. The latest famous name to travel the web with a deceased certificate next to them is none other than Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin.

The 'news' that the teenage daughter of the late wildlife expert and conservationist began to spread rapidly on Thursday (June 13) this week and by the end of the day her name was one of the most searched for items on the web as people sought to get to the bottom of the claim. As you've probably figured out already, the 14-year-old isn't dead, but there is actually a reason why the hoax was able to spread so quickly and cause such confusion in the first place.

The term 'Steve Irwin daughter dies' has been a pretty common search term for the past two days or so, the reason being because Bindi has actually been quite big new lately. She has been promoting her new film, Return to Nim’s Island, as well as showcasing herself to various press outlets as a new, grown-up Bindi. The lil ripper also penned a 1,000-word conservation essay earlier this year, sending it off to Hillary Clinton who, in turn, edited and attempted to published the essay for wider reading. However, due to the heavy editing on Clinton's behalf, Bindi has demanded that the altered version of her essay not be made public. Mix that together with her father's death and the work of a couple of pranksters trying to make the hoax into news and you've got yourself a standard celebrity death hoax.

So if there's anyone out there who was considering Tweeting or writing about the 'death' in some capacity please don't, it'll only fan the fake fires even further.

Bindi and Bob Irwin Puss in Boots
Steve's children Bindi and Bob Irwin have grown up considerably since their father's death

Terri Irwin Book
Terri Irwin recently released a book about her and Steve's life