TMZ walks back report Jerry Lee Lewis died

Editor's Note: (A version of this story appeared in the CNN Reliable Sources newsletter.
)

(CNN) Goodness, gracious.

TMZ stunned readers Wednesday, sending off push alerts reporting that the iconic rocker Jerry Lee Lewis had died.

The only problem: Lewis,87, is, in fact, alive.

Moments after publishing the story, the outlet took down its story and replaced it with a new article reporting that Lewis was still among the living.

"TMZ regrets the error," the unbylined story said. But not before a host of national and local outlets ran with the erroneous report, setting off a cascade of "BREAKING" stories that also had to be walked back.

Reached for comment, a rep for Lewis confirmed to CNN, "He's alive. TMZ reported erroneously off of an anonymous tip."