'No, guys, it's Debbie REYNOLDS': Disney star Debby Ryan, 23, forced to confirm she's still alive after young fans freak out over 'death' reports

  • Screen legend and SAG Award winner Debbie Reynolds died this week at the age of 84
  • Disney star Debby Ryan, who was in the show Jessie, is alive and well
  • The 23-year-old answered panicked fans on Twitter confirming that she's fine and pointing out that they need to read the news more carefully

By Carly Stern For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:12 EST, 30 December 2016 | Updated: 18:27 EST, 30 December 2016

Teenagers across the US this week proved once again that they do, in fact, have very short attention spans. So short that they can't even read a full news headline.

A number of fans of the Disney star Debby Ryan were panicked by news of celebrity death this week, but couldn't seem to be bothered to read exactly which celebrities passed.

This led quite a few to believe that Debby, the 23-year-old former lead of the show Jessie, had died.

Disney star Debby Ryan, 23, is alive and well, but some fans thought she had died this week

They began tweeting things like 'RIP Debby Ryan' and sharing their sadness online

Of course it was another Debbie, screen icon and SAG Award winner Debbie Reynolds, who passed away at the age of 84 following a stroke and the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher.

One high schooler first mourned Carrie with a series of retweets before misreading a headline about Debbie Reynolds.

'Omg I can't believe that 2016 took away Debby Ryan too. Rip girl, I will always be Jessie's #1 fan,' she wrote. 

The star took to Twitter to assure her fans she was fine and point out that they should pay closer attention to headlines

In fact, screen legend Debbie Reynolds died this week at the age of 84

Another young social media user wrote 'wow can't believe Debby Ryan died', while several more tweeted 'RIP Debby Ryan'.

Though some people were possibly trolling and trying to rile up other teens, quite a few clearly genuinely beloved the star had passed. 

Debby got wind of the distressed fans' tweets and quickly reassured them, though she did seem a bit flustered by the misunderstanding.

'No... guys, that's very thoughtful but it's Reynolds. Debbie Reynolds...' she tweeted on Thursday.

Fans seemed distraught by the news, which they completely misunderstood

Debbie appeared on numerous Disney Channel shows and will also be in the upcoming Daytime Divas

Luckily, many other teenagers seemed to shared her feelings of confusion and exasperation.

'Ladies and gentleman...the smart phone generation. Try reading a book once in a while you nubs,' wrote one. 

'Face-palming so many people,' another one added simply.

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