From Britney to Gaga: Seven celebrities that have had their Twitter account hacked

Following the hacking of Indian Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's Twitter account, we take a look celebrity Twitter accounts that have been hacked, often with hilarious results.

Singer Britney Spears has been the target of Twitter hackers a handful of times. AFP

Eyebrows were raised this week when Narendra Modi's Twitter account began asking people to donate cryptocurrency to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

It turned out the Twitter account of the Indian prime minister's personal website, which has more than 2.5 million followers, was hacked on Thursday, September 3. Twitter has since issued a statement, saying they were "aware of this activity and have taken steps to secure the compromised account".

"We are actively investigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has more than 2.5 million followers on the Twitter account linked to his personal website. Reuters

Modi is, however, far from the first high-profile figure to have their Twitter account hacked.

Back in July, more than 130 celebrity accounts were targeted in a major co-ordinated cyber attack. Two teenagers and a 22-year-old man, from the UK and US, were soon found to be behind the attacks.

Billionaires Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, as well as other famous figures such as Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West, were all affected. Their official accounts were used to request cryptocurrency from the public.

"Everyone is asking me to give back," a tweet from Gates's account read. "You send $1,000, I send you back $2,000."

Here, we take a look at seven other celebrity Twitter accounts that have been hacked in recent years.

Britney Spears

The Oops! ... I Did It Again star has been the target of Twitter hackers several times. In June 2009, her official account suddenly tweeted that the singer had died.

“Britney has passed today. It is a sad day for everyone. More news to come,” the post read.

Spears was also the subject of a fake tweet when Sony Music Entertainment’s Twitter account was hacked in December 2016. Hackers again published fake statements saying the American singer had died.

Sean Combs

Andre Harrell, left, with Sean 'Diddy' Combs. WireImage

The rapper known as Diddy was the target of hackers in 2009, who used the producer and entrepreneur’s official account to advertise a mobile phone shop in New York.

"Go cop your new phone from Verizon Wireless ... in Tribeca,” the tweet read. Combs himself tweeted that the post was fake within minutes of it being published, posting: "Don't go cop no new phone from nowhere in Tribeca. Someone tried to break into my Twitter."

Axl Rose

Rock musician Axl Rose’s account was hacked in May 2010, with hackers saying that the European leg of Rose’s Chinese Democracy tour had been cancelled. EPA

The Guns N' Roses singer's account was hacked in May 2010, with hackers saying that the European leg of Rose's Chinese Democracy tour had been cancelled.

"All upcoming Guns N' Roses dates are officially cancelled. Please contact your place of purchase for any refunds,” the tweet read.

Naturally, concert organisers rushed to inform fans that the tweet was fake and that the concerts were proceeding as scheduled.

Ja Rule

Ja Rule had his Twitter account hacked shortly after being convicted. AP

In December 2010, one day after Ja Rule was sentenced to two years in prison for illegal gun possession, the Clap Back rapper had his Twitter account hacked.

What followed was a series of self-deprecating jokes about Ja Rule’s career, including: “I changed my email. I changed my password. Too bad I can't change my career status."

Another tweet wrote: “I can’t even get a Twitter check by my name. Twitter hating.”

Gucci Mane

Hip-hop artist Gucci Mane had his Twitter account hacked in February 2013. UPI

The Wake Up In The Sky rapper had his Twitter account hacked in February 2013.

Instead of tweeting out Bitcoin scam attempts or hate-fuelled messages, the hacker instead posted: "Justin Timberlake is yummm.”

Lady Gaga

In December 2011, a few days before Christmas, Lady Gaga suddenly tweeted that she was “giving away Free iPad 2's to each one of you in the spirit of the holidays." AFP

In December 2011, a few days before Christmas, Lady Gaga suddenly tweeted that she was “giving away Free iPad 2s to each one of you in the spirit of the holidays".

At the time, the Poker Face had some 34 million followers (she now has more than 80 million). With iPad 2's starting price of $499 (Dh1,832), it meant that the singer would have had to spend approximately $17 billion to make sure each of her followers ended up with the Apple gadget for Christmas.

However, Gaga soon confirmed the tweet, which posted to a sign-up link. was a scam.

Ashton Kutcher

In 2011, the Punk’d star had his Twitter account hacked. Theo Kingma/Shutterstock (608051f) Ashton Kutcher 'The Guardian' film press conference at the Toronto International Film Festival, Canada- 09 Sep 2006

In 2011, the Punk'd star had his Twitter account hacked. However, the hacker seemed to have one simple objective.

"Ashton, you've been Punk'd. This account is not secure. Dude, where's my SSL?" The hacker wrote, referencing Kutcher's 2000 comedy Dude, Where's My Car? to shed a light on poor online security.