Fact-check: Is Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen dead or alive?

News about veteran Indian economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s death started circulating on social media today.

A social media post about Sen’s death that the Indian media was quoting was from Claudia Goldin’s X (formerly Twitter) account, which turned out to be a fake account.

I don’t think she has tweeted that. I think a fake account purporting to be her has tweeted it. Claudia Goldin’s account is @PikaGoldin. https://t.co/66nevCJMcJ pic.twitter.com/IL1C2q7q1V

— Alex von Tunzelmann (@alexvtunzelmann) October 10, 2023

Claudia Goldin is an American economic historian and has been announced as the winner of the Nobel Prize Economics for this year.

Sen’s daughter took to X and tweeted:

“Friends, thanks for your concern but it’s fake news: Baba is totally fine. We just spent a wonderful week together w/ family in Cambridge—his hug as strong as always last night when we said bye! He is teaching 2 courses a week at Harvard, working on his gender book—busy as ever!”

Friends, thanks for your concern but it’s fake news: Baba is totally fine. We just spent a wonderful week together w/ family in Cambridge—his hug as strong as always last night when we said bye! He is teaching 2 courses a week at Harvard, working on his gender book—busy as ever! pic.twitter.com/Fd84KVj1AT

— Nandana Sen (@nandanadevsen) October 10, 2023

Seema Chishti, Editor The Wire, corrected the misinformation, clarifying that Sen is very much alive.

Misinformation, untrue.

Prof Amartya Sen is well and has much to explore and share with us. https://t.co/8Hb4kch0CZ

— Seema Chishti (@seemay) October 10, 2023

Other accounts also corrected the misinformation being spread about Sen’s death.

As Seema says, Prof Sen is fine. Just confirmed. Appalling how misinformation spreads so quickly and even seasoned media establishments fall for it. https://t.co/wi7oyyj1YW

— Srinivasan Ramani (@vrsrini) October 10, 2023