The recent death of a doctor who promoted conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines has led some social media users to attempt to tie his death to three deaths eight years ago of other doctors who also practiced alternative medicine.
"RIP Dr. Rashid Buttar," read sticker text atop a video shared July 6 on Facebook. "Let’s remember the alternative medicine doctors who have also died mysteriously."
The video appears to have originated in a July 2 TikTok post, with a caption that read, "Another mystery death of an alternative medicine doctor."
The Facebook video was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
Buttar, 57, was an osteopathic physician who in 2021 was named as one of the "Disinformation Dozen" in a report by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. Those 12 doctors, the report said, played a leading role in spreading COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
Buttar died May 18 at his home, according to a statement on Twitter attributed to his family. The Centers for Advanced Medicine, where Buttar practiced in North Carolina, also announced his death. Neither statement listed a cause of death, giving rise to conspiracy theories about it on social media.
Buttar appears to have fueled the speculation himself. The Facebook video about his death cuts to a clip of Buttar saying that if something were to happen to him, it’s because he "was...
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