VIRGINIA — A 66-year-old Virginia resident who fell ill with the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, on a trip to New Orleans died Wednesday morning at a hospital in Concord, North Carolina.
The death of Landon Spradlin, an accomplished musician and a pastor, has drawn viral attention online, in part because earlier this month Spradlin questioned whether media coverage of the disease was overblown.
Some media outlets have noted that Spradlin shared a meme on his Facebook page that compared coronavirus deaths to swine flu deaths.
The meme described the reaction to the coronavirus as “mass hysteria” and suggested the media was using the pandemic to hurt President Donald Trump.
In the comments to the Facebook post, Spradlin said he believes the coronavirus
“is a real issue, but I believe the media is pumping out fear and doing more harm than good. It will come and it will go,” he wrote.
Some people have left comments on his Facebook page, calling him an “idiot” and expressing little sympathy for his family members.
(H/T Patch)