Lil Wayne Near-Death Rumors Spark Twitter Frenzy

(Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Conflicting reports that rapper “Lil Wayne” was near death whipped the twittersphere into a frenzy Friday evening, and a tweet from the rapper’s official account saying he was alive and well was retweeted 100,000 times in less than 45 minutes.

“I’m good everybody.  Thx for the prayers and love,” read the tweet from the rapper’s official Twitter account.

Celebrity website TMZ had reported earlier in the evening that the rapper was on life support after being hospitalized following a series of seizures, and that doctors had pumped his stomach three times in an attempt to flush substances from his system.

Sources close to the rapper told The Associated Press anonymously that Wayne had indeed had a seizure, but denied TMZ reports he was in a medically induced coma and close to death.

“Wayne is doing well,” Vickie Charles, senior publicity director for Wayne’s record label, Cash Money Records, told ABC News Radio.

Friends of Lil Wayne,  whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., also took to social media to counter reports the Grammy-winning rapper was at death’s door.

“Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game … thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon. #love,” Cash Money president Mack Maine tweeted.

“We will be releasing an official statement shortly but dont [sic] believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe … that’s false!!,” added Maine in a subsequent tweet.

A spokesperson for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center told ABC News that because of privacy laws the hospital could not confirm or deny that Carter was being treated there.

Carter achieved mainstream success in 2004 with the release of his album ”Tha Carter,” and it’s hugely successful follow up, ”Tha Carter III” (2008), which won the Grammy that year for Best Rap Album and became Lil Wayne’s most successful release to date.  He is scheduled to release his 10th album “I Am Not a Human Being,” on March 26.