Having worked in a restaurant with a repeating musical track list during the height of James Blunt mania, I probably heard his hit song “You’re Beautiful” more than the average person. And that’s saying a lot, considering it was everywhere in 2005. Despite being voted one of the most annoying pop songs by Rolling Stone, the track had huge success on the charts and was certified 2x Platinum in the U.S. Say what you want about the song, but you can’t say that it wasn’t popular.

I’ll refrain from comment.

Today, James Blunt is in the news not for a new album but because he recently told The Daily Mail that he may be qutting music. Well, kind of.

“I just want to take some time out for myself…I haven’t got any plans to do more songwriting.”

Although the quotes hint to a break more than a curtain call, The Daily Mail slapped the story with the word “retire” and it set off a Twitter firestorm. Of course, complete accuracy and context means nothing on Twitter when it comes to pop culture rumors. And because of the network’s ability to take a story and run with it, with a complete disregard to its veracity, we get to reap the benefits in the form of funny tweets. And while this story has much more truth behind it than a celebrity death rumor, Twitter users seem sure that he’ll never pick up an instrument again.

Twitter users aren’t being very beautiful to Blunt, to put it bluntly. Check out some of the best:

The artist did post this cryptic Facebook update referencing the Mail article:

Oh well, all is fair in snark and Twitter.