Rock stars more likely to die young: Study

Rock stars death rate: Rock and pop artists such as Amy Winehouse tend to die younger than the rest of us, a study shows. IMAGE

12/20/12

An early death is more likely for solo rock and pop stars than those in a band.

AP: File

LONDON — Rock 'n' roll will never die — but it's a hazardous occupation.

A new study confirms that rock and pop musicians die prematurely more often than the general population, and an early death is twice as likely for solo musicians as for members of bands.

Researchers from Liverpool John Moores University studied 1,489 rock and pop stars who became famous between 1956 and 2009 and found they suffered "higher levels of mortality than demographically matched individuals in the general population."

American stars are more likely to die prematurely than British ones.

Lead researcher Mark Bellis speculates that could be because bands provide peer support at stressful times.

The research was published Thursday in online journal BMJ Open.

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