Cher Fans Distraught Over Misread Margaret Thatcher Tweet

Cher fans are breathing a sigh of relief today. For a few hours, they thought their idol was dead.

The bizarre misunderstanding started on Twitter following the death of the Iron Lady herself, Britain's Margaret Thatcher. The hashtag "nowthatchersdead" sprang up. But many of Cher's fans misread the hashtag as "now that chers dead."

Despair quickly spread.

"OMG. I just heard that Cher is dead!" tweeted one distraught fan.  

Another wrote in disbelief: "Cher is dead??? What?"

Some even turned to Cher's hit songs for consolation. "If they could turn back time..." one devastated fan wrote.

Fortunately, the heartbreak was shortlived. Everyone soon realized their mistake. Relieved Cher fans posted tweets like: "It's ok people, Cher is still very much alive."

Even actor Ricky Gervais stepped in to set the record straight, writing: "Some people are in a frenzy over the hashtag #nowthatchersdead. It's 'now thatcher's dead' not, 'now that cher's dead."

And INSIDE EDITION has done some checking of our own, and we are happy to report that the diva is indeed alive and well.