Recently, Omar The Ref just became popular on TikTok and now there are constant rumours that he committed suicide, know more about the death of the referee and if he’s alive
These rumours haven’t been confirmed by any of the official sources, though.
On the basis of the rumours, some admirers have even gone so far as to fabricate phoney gravestones and news articles. Many additional people have asserted that the rumour was first circulated by BBC News. Omar the referee, also known as Omar the ref, became well-known last week after a TikTok video of him catching a basketball that had been deleted four months earlier reappeared.
Is Omar The Ref (Referee) dead or alive as death rumours claim that the TikToker committed suicide on Twitter
He needs to call up omar the referee to block the dude's punches for him pic.twitter.com/SjBAFAMtVG
— ⁵🏎 (@_ClckWrk) August 6, 2023
R.I.P OMAR THE REFEREE. SUICIDE AT 47 pic.twitter.com/BONA9Hyaox
— mood swings and ars (@wyattnewton15) August 10, 2023
Despite no confirmation of Omar’s alleged passing from any of his close relatives, friends, or manager, tributes began to flood in for him on TikTok. Unverified sources claim that Omar wanted to die since he was facing cyberbullying after becoming famous.
Omar’s death was reported along with two photo slideshows on a verified TikTok account that claimed to be him. One of them was a grave marker with the inscription, “Tyrone Johnson 1963 – 2023, he was such a happy person.” Another was a picture of a man with a clouded face laying in a hospital bed. But the TikTok account didn’t begin uploading posts until three days ago. It has also uploaded a video in which it claims Omar is dead.
The user also shared another video with a fake BBC News tweet that said, “Famous ‘Omar the Referree’ commits suicide aged 47.” The account’s name and profile picture do not correspond to the official BBC Twitter account. Furthermore, the BBC’s social media account has not been updated with any information about Omar’s passing.
More about Omar The Ref
Omar is a Baltimore, Maryland-born basketball official. In April 2023, he initially gained popularity on social media. At a youth game at the Spooky Nook Sports complex in Manheim, Pennsylvania, a spectator caught him in dramatic fashion catching a basketball. He caught the ball with ease and carefully turned to strike a photo. Over 1.5 million people watched the original video, but new edits and reposts have doubled that number in no time.