Two tweets published on Sony Music's Twitter account Monday morning sent Britney Spears fans into a frenzy.
The American label and company's official account pushed a message with the hashtag #RIPBritney.
A follow up tweet said that the 35-year-old singer was "dead by accident."
"We will tell you more soon," a message from Sony's account read.
The tweets received thousands of retweets in less than an hour before celebrity hacker group OurMine credited the organization with having hacked Sony's account. The group hacked the official accounts for Marvel Entertainment and Netflix earlier this month.
A message from singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's Twitter account offered condolences immediately after the original announcement, saying, "Rest in peace @britneyspears." Fans speculated his account was hacked, too. The tweet was later deleted.
Both tweets from Sony's account were deleted Monday morning.
A representative for Spears confirmed to CNN on Monday that Spears is "alive and well."
"I assume their account has been hacked," Spears' manager, Adam Leber, told CNN. "I haven't spoken to anyone ... as of yet, but I am certain their account was hacked. Britney is fine and well. There have been a few Internet clowns over the years who have made similar claims about her death, but never from the official Sony Music Twitter account."
Sony has not commented on the tweets or the hack.
Spears posted a video on Instagram Sunday showing her sons ziplining on Christmas Day.
Cox Media Group
