by David Gura

Even if it wasn't a good story — with sound sourcing and facts, The New York Post did spin a good tale: "Bernie 'Dying' In Jail: Bernard Madoff Is Suffering From Cancer In North Carolina Prison."

I read the exclusive this morning, by Rich Calder: "Bernie Madoff had little to lose by confessing to masterminding the world's biggest Ponzi scheme — he's dying of cancer, sources told The Post."

Madoff, who is serving 150 years at a North Carolina federal lockup after pleading guilty to swindling more than $65 billion, has been telling fellow inmates he does not have much longer to live.

"He's been taking about 20 pills a day for his cancer," said one inmate.

There were juicier tidbits too, about the inmates with whom Madoff has made friends — and his new hobby:

A bare-chested Bernie has been killing time at the prison participating in Native American religious purification ceremonies held at an on-grounds 'sweat lodge,' other sources said. He accepted invitations from Native American inmates to join them at their weekly prayer services. The ceremonies involve praying, using heated rocks to induce sweat and smoking from a ceremonial pipe.

Earlier today, Ashby Jones, a reporter and blogger for The Wall Street Journal, lent his newspaper's credibility to the story. He wrote that "The Wall Street Journal this morning confirmed the news a with source familiar with the situation. Still unclear: what type of cancer Madoff has."

Well, we can put the rumors to rest — about the cancer, the sweat lodge, and everything else.

According to The New York Times, "after receiving a numerous queries about the report, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Prisons, Traci Billingsley, released the following statement: 'While the N.Y. Post story is full of inaccuracies, and we can't specifically address all of them, we can tell you that Bernie Madoff is not terminally ill, and has not been diagnosed with cancer.'"