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Google clarifies search result: Sen. Orrin Hatch is not dead

By Sommer Brokaw
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who was incorrectly said to be dead in a Google search result this week, is seen at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 11. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who was incorrectly said to be dead in a Google search result this week, is seen at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on July 11. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

July 24 (UPI) -- Google has corrected a top result on its search engine that wrongly suggested Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, was dead.

The 84-year-old Utah Republican is very much alive, but a top search from Google erroneously said this week he died in September, citing a faulty Wikipedia entry.

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Hatch's office pointed out the error in a tweet Monday, attaching recent videos and pictures of the senator as proof he's still alive.

Google responded: "You certainly are alive and sporting a great sense of humor. We apologize for the error. We'll have it fixed shortly."

A Google search Tuesday no longer showed the false information.

"Having advanced four major bills last night, he was surprised to hear that he may have been dead the whole time," Hatch's spokesman Matt Whitlock sarcastically told The Washington Post.

Hatch will retire in January after 41 years in the Senate, making him the longest-serving Senate Republican in history.

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