Joe Diffie’s Widow Shoots Down Rumors About How He Died

Joe Diffie died on March 29 after a short battle with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In the weeks that have followed, however, several conspiracy theories have emerged, claiming that Diffie's cause death was something else.

Now, the singer's widow, Tara, is speaking up: In a post shared to Instagram, she calls reports claiming the "Pickup Man" singer died of anything but the coronavirus "fake news."

"I've seen multiple posts and it's upsetting to all of us," she writes.

WATCH: Joe Diffie's Top Songs and Greatest Hits

One popular conspiracy theory that has surfaced claims Diffie's cause of death was something other than COVID-19, but that hospitals have started reporting many deaths as coronavirus-related to boost funding. This post has been shared more than 130,000 times on Facebook.

Another theorist claims the singer died of lung cancer. Tara Diffie insists, "My husband @officialjoediffie did NOT HAVE LUNG CANCER. His father passed, same name, November 2018 to stage IV lung cancer," and the elder Diffie's obituary confirms her statements.

The misinformation about Diffie's death has been enough to warrant an investigation on Snopes. The website labeled all theories that Diffie died from something other than coronavirus as "false."

Diffie was just 61 years old when he died in March; just two days prior to his passing, on March 27, he revealed that he'd contracted the coronavirus. He became the first country celebrity death as a result of COVID-19, but John Prine has since also died of the virus.

Tara Diffie shared the last photo she took with her late husband on her Instagram page, with a caption that reads, "You were the love of my life."

Joe Diffie leaves behind five children: Parker, Kara, Drew, Tyler and Kylie, the youngest of whom was born in 2004.

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