Richard Wilkins recalls announcing Jeff Goldblum's death before hoax revealed | Dickie's Diaries exclusive interview

Richard Wilkins was mid-sentence when a commotion off digital camera caught his eye.

It was June 25, 2009 and the Nine Entertainment Editor was reporting dwell to air on the Today present concerning the breaking information Michael Jackson had been rushed to hospital.

It was a day Wilkins wouldn’t overlook. Hours before the music icon’s sudden death from a cardiac arrest, American actress Farrah Fawcett died.

Then, Wilkins unintentionally introduced the passing of Hollywood good man Jeff Goldblum.

Watch the video above.

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Richard Wilkins behind the desk of the Today show in 2009. — Richard Wilkins was handed a bit of paper throughout his dwell protection of Michael Jackson’s death in 2009. It claimed Jeff Goldblum had died. (Nine)

“Suddenly, we got the news that Michael Jackson was being rushed to hospital,” Wilkins tells 9Celebrity within the newest episode of Dickie’s Diaries.

“It was rolling coverage and we were throwing to various cameras and various other stations around the world.”

Hours earlier stories got here by means of that Fawcett had died from most cancers and there have been combined stories on the standing of the music icon’s well being.

“It was a big, emotional time for everybody,” Wilkins mentioned.

He was in dialog with then-Today co-hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson about stories the Thriller singer had died when he grew to become visibly distracted.

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With the cameras again on Stefanovic and Wilkinson, Wilkins gestured in the direction of studio producers. He was handed a bit of paper with additional surprising information.

“Then I did get the word, I did have a piece of paper passed to me saying ‘Jeff Goldblum has fallen off a cliff in New Zealand and died’,” Wilkins recalled.

“And I was like, ‘What? That can’t be right?'”

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With no official affirmation of Goldblum’s passing, Wilkins selected to attend.

“About 20 minutes later it has been confirmed by New Zealand police,” he mentioned.

Richard Wilkins and Jeff Goldblum. — Wilkins poses with Goldblum years after unintentionally reporting the Hollywood actor’s death. (Nine)

“And so I remember looking at Karl … and so I did say, and fortunately I proceeded it by the words ‘we are getting reports that Jeff Goldblum fell from a cliff to his death while filming in New Zealand’.”

The drawback was, Goldblum was alive and nicely.

“That was about it, really. Until Jeff heard the news and went public and said he was in fact not dead,” Wilkins mentioned.

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“And then I interviewed him not that long after all of that. We did have sort of a bit of fun with it … I didn’t quite know how it would be.

“The first phrases I mentioned to him have been ‘Sorry about that’, and he mentioned ‘Oh, no drawback, straightforward mistake to make’… and we have turn into agency pals.”