In 1982, "People" magazine said that Vigoda had died, even though he did not. Vigoda took the error with a sense of humor, even appearing in a picture where he was in a coffin, holding said magazine. Since then, the false death information, as well as the question to whether Vigoda is dead or alive, has been used as a joke sometimes on various television shows and internet websites, including abevigoda.com, a website that says if Vigoda is alive or dead.