Usher Dead? No, Just Shirtless

Usher is NOT dead, despite Twitter reports to the contrary.

The star is alive and well ... and really ripped, apparently!

The R&B sensation became the latest "victim" of the lame and morbid trend of creating fake celebrity death stories and watching the rumors spread like wildfire online.

Way to go, hoax starters and people re-tweeting them! You really proved your point, or something! Anyway, Usher quickly assured us there's no need to worry:

"I must've died and went to heaven... Alive and cold kickin ass!!" he tweeted, along with a photo showing off his shirtless, buff bod, adding: "Livin' Legend!"

Now that's how you refute a death hoax.