Steve 'dead happy' at home
2008-05-12 09:34
Pretoria - Steve Hofmeyr is not dead - just dead happy in his own bed in his own home.
While the whole country was up in arms on Saturday after rumours were spread that the singer and actor had died suddenly after his emergency operation last Monday morning, he was actually lying on his bed watching the Super 14 rugby.
Steve was admitted to a Gauteng hospital in the early hours last Monday for an emergency operation because of a perforated colon.
His recovery was so good that he could go home on Saturday afternoon already, where he spent a quiet day with his family and slept a lot.
Where and how the "sick death notice" had originated on Saturday was still not clear on Sunday afternoon.
One source said it presumably had started at one of the Super 14 matches where someone in the stadium had said Steve had died suddenly.
"People who heard this naturally let rip with the SMS's which were sent and received across the country.
Eventually it was even broadcast in radio reports," the source said.
'Very much alive'
Steve, his wife Natasha and their good friend Amanda Singleton had to start setting things straight when people phoned incessantly to hear what was going on.
"Steve is very much alive.
"Unfortunately he's not well yet but he's alive.
"He's resting at home now."
He naturally didn't miss any of the rugby on TV.
"The family asked that he just be given a chance to recover completely," Singleton said on Sunday.
Two people who were caught completely offside by Steve's "death" were his friend, the former Springbok rugby captain Joost van der Westhuizen, and his lawyer Peet Viljoen.
They immediately inquired about what was happening but were assured that Steve was in fact alive.