An actor known for his role on NBC’s long-running comedy hit "Seinfeld" was the subject of a hoax report of his death. The Los Angeles Times’ Show Tracker reports that Wayne Knight, who played Newman on “Seinfeld,” took to Twitter to shoot down the report.

The hoax report said Knight had died in a traffic accident near the New York-Pennsylvania border.

“Some of you will be glad to hear this, others strangely disappointed … but I am alive and well!” Knight wrote. His message was a reference to the fact that people sometimes confuse the actor with the unsavory characters he has played, the story notes. Newman was Jerry Seinfeld’s nemesis on the long-running NBC comedy.

Knight wasn’t the only victim of a recent fake death report, notes The Hollywood Reporter’s Live Feed. “Family Ties” actor Brian Bonsall also was reported dead, in what the publication calls a “fake Us Weekly article.” The report said the actor, who played the youngest child in the 1980s comedy, was found dead in a hotel room.

Bonsall wrote on Twitter, “Well apparently i’m dead, lol but I’ll have you know I’m doing well and enjoying a cup of coffee at home.”

It was unclear whether the two fake reports were from the same source, the piece adds.

Wayne Knight