The latest Holywood trend? Non-death.

On heels of a false Internet report that comedian Sinbad was dead, Todd Bridges of Everybody Hates Chris found himself Tuesday assuring friends and family – including his wife and sister – that he was very much alive.

"There were all these calls about it, and for a half an hour no one could reach me," Bridges, 41, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I was in (electronics store) Fry's shopping and I had my cell phone on silent. I am just glad that my kid never heard it."

Adds Bridges: "When you write the story, make sure you make it clear that I am alive."

The rumor apparently stemmed from confusion over a New York radio report about Shawn Bridges, a truck driver whose drug addiction become the subject of a documentary and who recently died after a long illness. The rumor picked up speed when a gossip Web site reported the "breaking news" that actor Todd Bridges had died of a drug-related death.

In truth, the once-troubled teen star from Diff'rent Strokes says he has been proudly sober for the last 14 years.