A recent study from the University Witten Herdecke in Germany suggests that fame may decrease a musician’s life expectancy by an average of 4.6 years. This finding appears in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, where researchers compared data from 648 singers, dividing them into two groups: famous and less famous artists. Famous singers were identified from a list of the top 2,000 artists compiled by Acclaimed Music, which includes prominent names like The Beatles and Bob Dylan.
The analysis revealed that famous singers typically live to an average age of 75, while their less famous counterparts tend to reach 79. While various factors related to a musician’s lifestyle have previously been noted to impact life expectancy, this research establishes a direct correlation between fame and mortality risk for the first time.
The study highlights that solo artists experience a higher mortality risk compared to group members, possibly due to a lack of emotional and practical support. Factors such as loss of privacy, public scrutiny, and performance-related pressure are considered potential contributors to this increased risk, although the study did not definitively establish these links.
In addition to addressing the longevity of musicians, the study points out that the impact of fame is similar to well-documented health risks, such as occasional smoking. Despite the findings, the research had a significant gender imbalance, comprising 83.5% male participants compared to 16.5% female.
Prior studies have indicated heightened mortality risks associated with fame, particularly for pop stars who achieve recognition at a young age. The study also references the “27 Club,” which includes several iconic musicians who died at that age. However, earlier research from 2011 did not find a unique risk associated with age 27 specifically, suggesting a broader trend of increased risk throughout a musician’s 20s and 30s.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cde6702n4geo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss