Mr Bartley, who featured in the soap for 34 years, said that his wife, Helen (Cahill) received a shocking phone call from a cousin this morning.
“He (her cousin) was ringing to say he was sorry for her loss. And Helen said “what loss?’ He said it was about ‘Jim passing away.’
“She said (to him) ‘No, he has not, he is sitting right here.’
“I said I would have to try and ring the family. But then I said I would ring Liveline. It is the best way to get an announcement out that I am still alive as you have a listenership across the world.”
Jim Bartley on the Fair City set with screen daughters Suzanne (left, played by Sarah MacDowall) and Yvonne (played by Alex MacDowall, Sarah’s real-life sister)
Host Kieran Cuddihy revealed that a false report of the actor’s death appeared on a Fair City fan Facebook page.
Alongside the announcement, a doctored image claiming to show his funeral was also shared. The photo depicts pallbearers carrying a casket while a female mourner holds a picture of Mr Bartley.
Mr Bartley said that “AI technology” was proving to be “the ruination of a lot of people”.
“It is terrible and I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t even know how to get on to Facebook. It is a shock.
“To all those people who are shocked, I’m really sorry that they had that sort of news. It is not funny.
“Now, I try to get a laugh out of it myself but when you realise the serious effect it has on people, it is not funny.”
The Facebook fan page has 11,000 followers. The picture and a story about the fake funeral remains online.
Facebook has been contacted for comment.
Mr Bartley has had a long career in showbusiness first appearing on RTÉ’s first soap, Tolka Row, at the age of 18.
The actor, who is a native of Drimagh in Dublin, was honoured on the Late Late Show in 2013 as he celebrated 55 years in showbusiness.
Mr Bartley was born in 1945 and began his career in the Olympia Theatre in 1958 in a production of the Remarkable Mr Pennycracker. He has had an extensive career in the theatre.
He has also appeared in television shows such as The Bill, Coronation Street, The Irish RM, and Z Cars.
His film career includes appearances in the War of the Buttons, Ulysses and The Pink Panther Strikes Again.