'Fake news boss' who disrupted US election is dead

The man who spread fake news during the 2016 US presidential election campaign died at the age of 38 from a drug overdose.

Paul Horner is known as the "fake news king" for his news stories that disrupted the 2016 US election. Photo: Punch Newspaper.

US officials said Paul Horner died in bed at his mother's home in Laveen, Arizona on September 18 from a drug overdose, BBC reported on September 27.

His brother, Jj Horner, posted the announcement of Paul's death on social media, describing him as an "internet magician, humanitarian, philosopher and comedian".

Maricopa County Sheriff's spokesman Mark Casey confirmed the news and said an autopsy revealed no signs of foul play. He added that Paul had a history of prescription drug abuse and "evidence at the scene indicated this was a drug overdose."

Paul wrote many fake news posts on Facebook and his own websites, claiming that thanks to him, Donald Trump was elected US president in November 2016.

During and after the US election campaign, fake news has been a major concern. A series of fabricated stories are believed to have influenced the outcome of the vote. Among the fake stories that Paul fabricated was that former President Obama was gay and a radical Muslim.

Trump's son, Eric, and campaign manager Cory Lewandowski also posted Paul's fake news about protesters being paid $3,000 to protest Trump.

"I think it was me who got Trump to the White House. My websites are constantly followed by Trump supporters. They don't have the habit of fact-checking, they post everything and believe everything," Paul said in an interview with the Washington Post in November 2016.

Many of Paul's websites, such as newsexaminer.net, are often given names that could easily be mistaken for legitimate. However, Horner has always defended his professional motto as "political satire."

"The news I create is always humorous and comedic," he explained to CNN in December. "I do this to help people understand. I often see many wrong things in society that I don't like."

Asked if he spread disinformation against Hillary Clinton supporters to help her opponent, Horner said no and admitted "I hate Trump".

According to VNE