Reports of the death of Chuck Biscuits, the former D.O.A. and Danzig drummer, are a hoax, according to his brother.

Biscuits, whose real name is Charles Montgomery, is healthy and living in Seattle, according to Bob Montgomery, who spoke to CBC News from Vancouver.

On Thursday, CBC News and other media outlets reported the Canadian ex-drummer's death from throat cancer, but that has proved to be untrue.

The hoax appears to have originated with one U.S. blogger, James Greene Jr., and later was picked up by reputable music industry magazines such as ChartAttack and NME, as well as reported on a Facebook page purported to belong to Chuck Biscuits.

Greene reports on his blog that he was sent emails over a period of months detailing the drummer's failing health from throat cancer, concluding with a report of his death Oct. 24.

The emails were signed by people identifying themselves as Charles Montgomery and his wife, and the final email was anonymous, Greene said.

"If this is all a big fat lie, I'm sorry, but I promise I was duped just as hard as you," Greene blogged on Friday.

"I'm amazed at how fast this went viral," Bob Montgomery said, adding that no one had contacted the family to confirm reports of his brother's death.

"I can't tell you what this did to Mom," he said.

Montgomery said he spoke Friday to his brother, who is alive, but doesn't want to speak publicly about what he is now doing with his life.

The B.C.-born drummer left the music scene in 1999.