Something similar, that didn't have any harmful consequences: back in October 1969, when the Beatles released their "Abbey Road" album, rumors grew to an epic scale that Paul McCartney was dead.
A DJ in Detroit named Russ Gibb received an anonymous phone call that claimed Paul kicked the bucket, and there were clues to be found on the last few Beatle albums to support his claim.
On the Abbey Road cover, the Beatles crossing the street in a funeral procession. John was the minister, Ringo was the undertaker, Paul was the corpse, George was the gravedigger.
Paul is out of step with the others, holding a cigarette in his right hand (Paul is left-handed), and was barefoot (in Sicily, the dead are buried without shoes, supposedly).
In the background, there's a Volkswagen Beetle (Beatle?) with a license plate that says 28 IF. Paul would've been 28 if he was still alive Actually he was only 27, but the rumormongers claim in some gypsy cultures you get a free year for your time in the womb).
Other claims, found on their Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour albums are more far-fetched, but a number of people, just by suggestion, took it as gospel.
At the end of "Strawberry Fields", John Lennon was heard saying "I buried Paul", but has since been revealed as "cranberry sauce". Debunk this one.
On the White Album, if you played the record backwards (you need an LP and a turntable to do this today) the voice saying "Number Nine" on "Revolution 9" sounds like "Turn me on dead man".
It was also hinted that between "I'm So Tired" and "Blackbird" there's a few seconds of gibberish, played backwards sounds like "Paul is dead, miss him miss him".
Little sprinkles of lyrics were supposed to reveal the whole story of Paul's death.
Supposedly Paul was driving on November 8, 1966, and at "Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock" crashed his car.
"He blew his mind out in a car, he didn't notice that the lights have changed".
There was a car crash that day, but the victim was one Tara Browne, who was to be an heir to the Guinness fortune. Debunk this one.
Supposedly, the three surviving Beatles ("One and one and one is three") couldn't face telling the world that Paulie bought the farm, so they hired a lookalike/soundalike named William Campbell, carried on as if nothing happened, and gradually leaked out clues over the next few years.
The rumor did give a boost to record sales (after any famous artist dies, their catalog usually spikes. Look at Prince and David Bowie last year).
The Beatles themselves were the first to say it was all bull crap.
Paul: "If I were dead I'd be the last to know".
John: "Rumors are started by people with nothing better to do than form clubs and study rocks".
Could there be innuendos/satanic messages in Disney cartoons, or anywhere? Yes, if you're willing to believe it. Doesn't necessarily make it true.