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When the Duggar family first appeared on TLC ages ago, they had no clue just how famous their large family would become. Early viewers of their series will recall that the family themselves didn't even watch TV, but hoped that by appearing on a reality series, they could preach their lifestyle and religious beliefs to others.
With their rise to reality fame, however, came a lot of uncomfortable scrutiny from the public, especially when it came to Joshua Duggar's childhood (and adulthood) crimes and the way the Duggar parents swept the issues under the proverbial rug. Beyond that, however, the family has also been the subject of death hoaxes and undue speculation. Here are some of those rumors—and how the Duggar family deals with them.
Rumors Swirled That Josh Duggar Died In 2021
Perhaps unsurprisingly, people weren't thrilled with Joshua Duggar after his misdeeds as a teen came to light. Not only was it revealed that Josh had inappropriately touched his minor sisters, but as an adult, he later faced charges for possessing inappropriate material involving children.
After all that, there came a Josh Duggar death hoax as wild rumors flew about the oldest Duggar passing away.
Shortly after his initial arrest, a website published an obituary for Josh Duggar, which Twitter users picked up on and apparently began circulating.
While various sources reported the hoax, the Duggar family didn't make a formal response, according to OK! Magazine. A source said to be close to the family claimed that the Duggars shied away from social media immediately after Josh's arrest, preferring not to read what people were saying about him.
Which Duggars Have Actually Died?
Apart from the Josh death hoax, there's been speculation about the passing of other Duggar family members, but those have largely been unfounded.
Part of the speculation might come from the fact that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar did have two children that are no longer living, but those were both due to miscarriage.
Years ago, Michelle got pregnant while on birth control but experienced a miscarriage. The baby was named Caleb Ryan, and the pregnancy occurred between Josh's birth (in 1988) and the arrival of twins Jana and John-David (in 1990).
All the Duggar children after that were born healthy until Josie arrived in 2009. Josie was a micro-preemie who struggled with health issues for years.
Josie was the Duggars' final biological child; Jubilee Shalom was stillborn in 2011.
Apart from Caleb and Jubilee, all the remaining children born to Jim Bob and Michelle are still living. Other Duggar family members have passed away, though.
Grandma Mary Duggar Passed Away In 2019
In a seemingly underreported tragedy, Mary Duggar, Jim Bob's mom, passed away in 2019. Though many of the Duggars shared tributes to the late matriarch, details weren't immediately available as to the reason for her passing.
Later, the news emerged that the 78-year-old passed due to accidental drowning at her home in Springdale, Arkansas. It's unclear if anyone was at her home at the time, as Mary's husband had long since passed, so it's assumed she lived alone. Her daughter Deanna did find her, but by then, it was too late.
In Jana's tribute to her grandmother, she wrote that she had driven Grandma Mary to church the morning before Mary died. Jana is said to still live at home, in Tontitown AR, which is about a 12-minute drive from Springdale.
Most of the Duggars addressed Grandma Mary's passing on social media, but none seemed to discuss the cause of death; most of the tributes centered on how faithful Grandma Mary was and how she was eager to meet her savior at the end of her life.
Some Extended Family Members Have Passed Away
While the core Duggar family, Jim Bob and Michelle and their children, are all alive and well, some extended family members have passed away since the family came into the public eye.
For example, Josh Duggar's wife Anna had someone in her family pass away in a car crash shortly after Grandma Mary passed. Anna's sister's husband's younger sister (Anna's brother-in-law's sister) passed away at the age of 22.
But each time someone close (or not so close) to the Duggars passes away, it seems to make headlines. Yet the family themselves don't often comment on things, apart from posting tributes.
How Do The Duggars Address Death Hoaxes?
In the case of hoaxes and rumors, the Duggars simply ignore them. Just like the other drama and speculation surrounding the family, they tend to ignore the gossip and instead report their own interpretations of events.
Even Josh Duggar's criminal scandal didn't spur the family to speak up clearly.
While many of his siblings spoke out about his bad behavior, most of the reports were vague, and while his siblings condemned Duggar's behavior, most of their posts spoke about love and forgiveness.
To the Duggars' credit, they have probably avoided even more drama by keeping mum on various topics. But at least fans know that if anyone did die in the Duggar family, there would at least be a public tribute for them.