Noted on Twitter: Lil Wayne's life and (not really) near-death experience

Superstar rapper Lil Wayne was taken to hospital on Friday with some reports suggesting he'd suffered a seizure. While no details were released, the gossip site TMZ reported that the rapper was near death:

Storified by Maclean's Magazine· Sat, Mar 16 2013 06:02:35

Lil Wayne Hospitalized Again for Seizures ... Sources Say http://tmz.me/WK4vjK #BreakingTMZ

#BREAKING Lil Wayne In CRITICAL Condition After More Seizures http://tmz.me/ZGtdwxTMZ

@tmz y'all deleted the shit outta this tweet huh http://twitpic.com/cbt2h1Calvin P

The TMZ reports fuelled more reports and speculation about the rapper's condition:

Is lil Wayne really dead http://pic.twitter.com/RpnDRCTxCHWestown

UPDATE: TMZ says Lil Wayne '"being prepared for last rites," but friends deny http://huff.to/157VuzdHuffington Post

The musician's camp denied reports:

Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game...thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon. #loveMack Maine

We will be releasing an official statement shortly but dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe...that's false!!Mack Maine

@LilTunechi bout to send a tweet out to kill this and everyone can go back to what they were doingMack Maine

... as fans prayed for his recovery:

Lets pray for Lil Wayne and hope he pulls through.Tom Green

Pray for LiL WayneKing Los

Praying for Lil Wayne & family..Please get better soon.. Too much love for him!! RT C'mon #prayers http://twitpic.com/cbsc1xAslıhan Boynukısa

Just after nine on Friday night, there was a tweet from @LilTunechi, aka Lil Wayne, aka Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.:

I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.Lil Wayne WEEZY F

Best tweet I've ever read in my whole life. @LilTunechi #thanktheLORD http://pic.twitter.com/ZCDg4XSG9HValentina Pioggia

The Twitterverse was quick to make jokes and point fingers, while TMZ apparently updated its Twitterfeed:

Lil Wayne Reportedly Near Death, or Watching Basketball http://bit.ly/ZGCc0UHollywood Reporter

BREAKING NEWS: Thousand of people on Twitter just realized TMZ is a gossip site. Maybe a “news” site, but not a news site.Robert Hernandez

Lil Wayne lives on, as do his horrible lyricsEvil Mike Tomlin

UPDATE: TMZ has removed report saying Lil Wayne was given last rites; no explanation given http://bit.ly/YxbfvxGlobalGrind Politics

DEVELOPING: .@TMZ has deleted part of it's update on Lil Wayne: Before: http://pic.twitter.com/11Z4A2cFvD - Now: - @buzzfeednewsNewsBreaker