It turns out that the trials of fame are not just challenging—they can be deadly. Those who aspire to stardom should be more cautious about their desires, according to German researchers. They believe that the recognition of a solo artist increases the risk of their .
A team of scientists from Witten/Herdecke University analyzed the life paths of well-known singers from Europe and the U.S. who were active between 1950 and 1990. They found that the most fortunate stars died, on average, five years earlier than their lesser-known counterparts. This suggests that fame itself, rather than lifestyle or hard work, was the key factor, as reported by The Guardian.
Researchers discovered that solo who achieved significant fame struggled more with it than vocalists from well-known bands. It seems that celebrated solo artists were more vulnerable, faced greater societal pressure, and received less emotional support during their highs and lows.
Professor Michael Dafner, the lead author of the study, clarified that, on average, their lives were shortened by 4.6 years. He noted that each decade has its list of stars whose lives were bright but brief. For instance, in just the last decade, this fate befell Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Prince, , and Keith Flint. When famous singers die prematurely, the media can be relentless, says Professor Dafner.
What Did the Researchers Discover?
To determine whether fame affects the risk of early death, Dafner and his team focused on 324 well-known solo vocalists and lead singers of popular bands. The scientists compared them with lesser-known musicians of the same age, gender, nationality, ethnicity, and musical genre.
Most of the singers were white rockers from the U.S. Nineteen percent were African American, and 16.5 percent were women. The oldest vocalist was born in 1910, while the youngest was born in 1975. More than half of them sang in bands.
When the researchers analyzed the life paths of each performer, they noticed a clear trend: these public favorites typically lived shorter lives than their less recognized peers. The risk of premature death for band soloists was 26 percent lower than that of solo artists.
Professor Dafner stated that further research is needed to understand why fame shortens the lives of well-known singers. The findings were published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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