In 1984 a similar rumor mesmerized the young people of that day. According to the scuttlebutt back then, 12-year-old Alfonso Ribeiro of the Broadway show "The Tap Dance Kid" died in a Michael Jackson video when one of his many breakdancing moves snapped his neck. Although the false story's spread was somewhat slowed by the youngster's continued good health (as evidenced by his appearance on Donahue and a People article on him in July of that year), breathless "Did you hear about the kid who died in the Michael Jackson video?" whispers continued to circulate. Failing to heed the news of his own death, Ribeiro later that year advanced his career by becoming an actor in the television sitcom Silver Spoons.