“Some lives fade, as fast as songs.” The poetic imagery celebrated in the iconic work by local star, Luciano Ligabue, is more real than ever. Science confirms it: You live and die by fameseveral years earlier than those who have never experienced the thrill of fame. To be precise, under the glare of the spotlight singers who become stars appear to die on average about 4 years earlier than their peers who have not yet achieved celebrity status. And according to the authors of the study published online in the ‘Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health’, fame itself could be an important factor in shortening their lives, beyond the risks of their profession. This is what researchers at the University of Witten/Herdecke (Germany) observed in their research on celebrities from the UK, Europe and North America.
Study room
Experts note that the effects of fame is worth the other health risks. As does occasional smoking, which has a 34% higher risk of death. Previously published research has shown that famous singers tend to die before the general public. But it’s unclear whether fame itself, the demands of the music industry, or the lifestyle associated with being a musician contributes to this increased risk. To explain this puzzle, Researchers retrospectively compared the death risks of 648 singers, half of whom had achieved celebrity status and the other half who had not.. Each of the 324 stars was compared to their lesser-known counterparts based on year of birth, gender, nationality, ethnicity, musical genre, and status as lead/lead singer in a band.
The majority (83.5%) were male and the average year of birth was 1949, but the age range ranged from 1910 to 1975. More than half of the singers (61%) were from North America, and the remainder from Europe/England. The majority were white (77%), with only 19% black and 4% other or mixed ethnicity.
The most risky singer
And the majority are in the rock genre (65%)followed by R&B (14%), pop (9%), new wave (6%), rap (4%) and electronic (2%). More than half of the singers (59%) were in a band; 29% performed solo and 12% performed solo and in bands.
The sample of famous singers was drawn from the ‘Top 2000 Artists of All Time’, a database that compiles global rankings based on lists published by music critics, journalists and industry professionals, but not based on audience surveys or sales data. Only artists active after 1950 and before 1990 were included, to gather sufficient information regarding the risk of death by the end of December 2023.
Data analysis shows that, on average, Famous singers live until the age of 75 years, while less famous singers live until the age of 79 years.
This band protects. Actually no
Although joining a band was associated with a 26% lower risk of death than singing alone, the inclusion of this variable did not affect the overall impact of fame, as famous singers were still 33% more likely to die early than their lesser-known counterparts. Only 2 (0.6%) stars achieved posthumous fame. The increased risk of death in the analyzed cases began only after achieving fame and remained significantly associated throughout the celebrity’s life period.
This suggests, the authors reason, that the increased risk of death is not due to fundamental differences or reverse causation in which early death contributes to fame, but rather because this risk arises especially after achieving fame. “Which – they explain – highlights fame as a potential tipping point for health risks, including mortality. In addition to occupational explanations, our findings suggest that fame adds further vulnerability in an already at-risk group.”
In conclusion
The authors point out that this was an observational study and, as such, it is impossible to draw definite conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships. It should also be noted that this study’s sample was not global and was limited to singers, meaning that the observations may not apply to other regions of the world or other areas of fame, such as acting or sports.
But a possible explanation for these findings may lie in the “unique psychosocial stressors that accompany fame, such as intense public scrutiny, performance pressure, and loss of privacy,” the researchers hypothesized. “These stressors can trigger psychological distress and detrimental coping behaviors, turning fame into a chronic burden that magnifies existing occupational risks.”
Fame brings great financial security, a factor often associated with healthy aging. But in fact research shows that “Being famous seems so dangerous that it negates any potential benefits associated with high socioeconomic status. Once again, this highlights the increasing vulnerability of stars, indicating the need for targeted protection and support for this population.
