Philip Anselmo, the iconic Pantera frontman, has put fans’ fears to rest after a flood of fake A.I.-generated posts falsely claimed he was battling blood cancer. Though I guess I should use the phrase “fears” lightly, as everyone should really be super skeptical of anything they see on social media these days.
On Tuesday, February 24, the 57-year-old musician addressed the rumors directly on social media, making it clear he’s in good health and busy with multiple music projects.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Philip H. Anselmo here,” he said in a video statement. “There’s an A.I. page that is going bananas about me, and it’s putting out bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. I’m healthy as a horse. There’s incredible stuff going on. Mixing the new Down. King Parrot is coming into town. Performing the new En Minor in the studio, trying to get that finished. There’s a zillion things going on.”
Anselmo also sent his well-wishes to fans, saying, “Anyway, I hope everybody else is healthy, as we are over here. Much love to you, and thank you everyone who wished me a speedy recovery and all that. Come on. Damn A.I. shit.”
None of this is surprising in 2026 – researchers recently warned that AI “swarms” could flood social media to manipulate opinions, harass dissenters, and influence democracy. Unlike simple bots, these swarms are coordinated by large language models, can mimic humans, adapt to communities, and operate 24/7.
Welcome to the future. It sucks.
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