Twitter mourns Hugo Chavez’s death, pokes fun at Sean Penn
The Venezuelan president, who didn’t care much for the U.S., died on Tuesday. He took over Twitter’s trending topics list in the process.
Please respect Sean Penn’s privacy during this difficult time. #riphugo
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) March 5, 2013
Chavez, whose Twitter account has more than 4 million followers, died after battling lung cancer. He was 58.
By 5 p.m. ET, a number of terms related to Chavez—including “Sean Penn” and “Castro,” in reference to Cuban dictator Fidel Castro—were among the trending topics on Twitter.
U.S. Rep. Jose Serrano, a Democrat from the South Bronx, made headlines after Chavez’s passing when he tweeted this R.I.P. message:
Hugo Chavez was a leader that understood the needs of the poor. He was committed to empowering the powerless.R.I.P. Mr. President.
— Jose E. Serrano (@RepJoseSerrano) March 5, 2013
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