ΚIRK DOUGLAS IS ALIVE AND WELL

 Obituary accidentally published by People

Kirk Douglas starred in Spartacus with Tony Curtis and Laurence Olivier

Kirk Douglas is alive and well, despite his obituary being published online by People magazine on Sunday.

Under the headline "DO NOT PUB Kirk Douglas Dies," the magazine accidently posted a pre-written tribute to the actor, who turns 98 this month.

The post listed details about Douglas's life and career spanning six decades, including his 1956 Vincent Van Gogh biopic Lust for Life.

The obituary, which sparked reaction on Twitter, has been removed.

 Most magazines and newspapers have obituaries for famous people prepared

It is unclear whether the tribute, which had a date stamp of 29 September, had been online for two months.

It read: "Kirk Douglas, one of the few genuine box-office names to emerge just as TV was overtaking American culture in the years right after World War II, died TK TK TK. He was 97 (DOB 12/9/1916) and had been in good health despite having suffered a debilitating 1996 stroke that rendered his speech difficult."

Douglas starred in his first movie in 1946 - the classic film noir The Strange Love of Martha Ivers.

His other films include Gunfight at the OK Corral, Lonely Are the Brave and Cast a Giant Shadow.

The actor has received three Oscar nominations during his career, for Lust for Life, The Bad and the Beautiful and Champion.

Although he never won, Steven Spielberg presented him with an honorary Academy award in 1996.