Obit Magazine has a piece on premature obituaries. Some of the stories are not comical, but this one on Bertrand Russell is.

Most victims of premature obituaries can blame slipshod reporting for the foul ups, but the mistakes ar at least, honest ones. Philosopher Bertrand Russell contended with more sinister behavior. In 1920, after surviving a nasty bout of pneumonia while in China, Japanese correspondents pestered Russell’s future wife, Dora Black, with requests to interview the convalescing philosopher. “At last she became a little curt with them, so they caused the Japanese newspapers to say that I was dead,” recalled Russell in his autobiography.

But the renowned pacifist exacted his revenge. When his health improved a bit, Russell stopped in Japan for a lecture. Local journalists again demanded interviews. Russell replied by having Dora pass out printed announcements: “Since Mr. Russell is dead, he cannot be interviewed.”