Twitter – a place to discover news, start revolutions, document history in real time and post thousands of tributes to an imaginary man, created by a comedian during a quiet moment.

Showing that the Friday feeling was alive and well on Twitter, the imaginary death of the imaginary comic Gregg Jevin dominated the website's trends.

It started innocuously enough, with the comedian Michael Legge posting a tweet that read: "Sad to say that Gregg Jevin, a man I just made up, has died. #RIPGreggJevin."

Before long, a flurry of tributes were pouring in, pushing #RIPGreggJevin and Gregg Jevin to the top Twitter trends – no mean feat for a comedian with about 10,000 followers at the beginning of the day.

Other comedians quickly got on board. @mrpetermore dwelt with regret on his troubled relationship with the imaginary comedian: "I take back every mean-spirited, spiteful thing I ever said Gregg Jevin. Now he's dead. #RIPGreggJevin", adding: "Don't know how I'm going to break the news about Gregg Jevin to my kids. He was their role model as they are also made up."

The trend – caused when there is a sudden spike in conversations around a hashtag – did create some confusion, leading one tweeter to comment: "Loving all the people asking 'who is Gregg Jevin?' But then, did any of us really know?"

Before long, tributes not only from individuals but also from major publications were being posted. The Radio Times was a vocal Gregg Jevin enthusiast. Tweeting as @RadioTimes, it announced a series of programmes dedicated to the made-up man. "Schedule update: 9.30pm tonight on BBC2, the tribute programme 'Oh Well, Never Mind: The Gregg Jevin Story' … It's part of Gregg Jevin Night, which includes his films Tears from a Face (1975), Warm Protocol (1981) and Elephant! (1986) #RIPGreggJevin".

The Royal Albert Hall also made an announcement. "Tickets for the Gregg Jevin memorial concert here are likely to go on sale in the coming weeks," it told the dead comedian's creator.

There were showdowns, with @WstonesOxfordSt tweeting: "Come on @Foyles. Let's fight tonight at 10, Oxford Circus. Do it for Gregg. #RIPGreggJevin." And there were newsflashes: "Fictional character Gregg Jevin has died," tweeted @BBCWorld.

Even Legge seemed surprised by the interest garnered by the imaginary comedian's passing. "Interesting that Gregg is trending worldwide. I remember when Diana died. She didn't trend on Twitter at all," he wrote.