Superman star Henry Cavill surprised by death note

Henry Cavill was surprised to discover he 'died' two days ago. Photo/Instagram

His famously muscular physique has helped win him a legion of adoring female fans, while his role as iconic caped crime fighter Superman has rapidly established him as a rising Hollywood star.

But those searching for the latest news on British actor Henry Cavill may well have been left mortified after an online biography suggested he died two days ago, reports The Daily Mail.

The gaffe was not lost on a clearly unamused Cavill, who later shared a screen grab of his incorrectly assumed death date – March 3, 2018 – with his Instagram followers.

View this post on Instagram

When you learn that you died 2 days ago....

A post shared by Henry Cavill (@henrycavill) on Mar 5, 2018 at 5:31am PST

Splicing the image with a shot of his bemused expression, the actor, 34, wrote: "When you learn that you died 2 days ago."

Commenting on the embarrassing error, one relieved fan responded: "OH thank God!!!you're alive!!....or i was about to DIE."

Clearly seeing the funny side, another added: "No one told you, how rude! You could have stayed home and enjoyed the days playing dead. Now you have to get back to living. SMH Stay healthy Superman."

Elsewhere another fan referred to his role as the iconic superhero, who can only be killed by alien mineral Kryptonite, writing: "RIP bro, don't worry you'll come back Superman always comes back (sic)."

Another drew parallels with a recent death hoax involving another Hollywood star, adding: "Lmao Recently, it was done to Sylvester Stallone. Said he died from a long fight of prostate cancer. Sikeee!"

While another commented: "This is nonsense. Aka Fake News. Wishing you an excellent health and many years of happy life."

Cavill's assumed death comes amid claims he is on the lookout for a new woman after splitting with girlfriend Lucy Cork, after friends were reportedly heard declaring that he is "single".