Rick Ross Is Not Dead Despite Internet Rumors

Rapper Rick Ross is alive and well, despite rumors to the contrary circulating online.

The 42-year-old was hospitalized in the early hours of Thursday morning, following a 911 call from his home in Miami, Florida. Emergency workers reportedly responded to his mansion to find someone matching Ross’s description unresponsive. When they regained consciousness, the person became combative, according to TMZ.

Ross’s family denied all reports that he was hospitalized, and later rumors that he was on life support as well. However, the tales online continued to grow until many users on Twitter were saying that the iconic rapper was dead.

“‘Rick Ross’ is dead,” tweeted one person. “RIP Big Man.”

“I think Rick Ross is dead,” wrote another. “The usual hide and seek with the media is being played b his camp because money is on the line.”

“Word is…..#rickross is dead. Rip.”

“Damn not Rick Ross,” tweeted one user. “Have to be careful w those TMZ reports,” they added. “They had Lil Wayne dead twice.”

In fact, according to TMZ, Ross returned home early on Monday morning. After four days in the hospital, the “Hold Me Back” rapper is reportedly receiving care in his home from a visiting nurse. Ross is reportedly still recovering from his respiratory issues.

The outlet also maintains their claim that Ross was placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or ECMO. The treatment is a form of life support to replace the function of failing hearts and lungs in patients with severe respiratory problems.

However, Ross’s family denied these claims entirely from the start. The only member of Ross’s immediate circle to confirm his health problems was ex-girlfriend and the mother of one of his children, who asked PEOPLE to “pray for him.”

Ross has faced health concerns for many years. In October of 2011, he suffered from two seizures in one day, both on separate flights. He blamed the episode on sleep deprivation, but shortly after he began making drastic changes to his lifestyle and diet. Altogether, Ross lost 100 pounds.

Ross discussed his shift into healthy living in an interview with Men’s Health in September of 2016.

“I’m happy,” Ross said. “I’m still losing weight, and now I’m starting to build hard muscle in places.”

“If I quit all the things I loved cold turkey, I knew it would only be so long before I went back to my old ways,” Ross continued. “My advice for anyone looking to lose weight is to not make it feel like a job.”