The price of fame: famous singers live less than 'ordinary' performers

This was the conclusion of researchers whose work was published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (BMJ).

The authors assessed how fame affects the life expectancy of singers in North America and Europe/UK and compared famous artists with their less successful counterparts.

How the study was conducted

The scientists analysed data from 648 singers:

• 324 "stars" (listed in the Top 2000 Artists of All Time by acclaimedmusic.net),

• 324 little-known singers, matched to each "star" by:

  • year of birth,

  • gender,

  • nationality and ethnicity,

  • genre (rock, R&B, pop, rap, etc.),

  • status (soloist or frontman of a band).

Main characteristics of the sample:

• 83.5% were male;

• average year of birth - 1949 (range 1910-1975);

• 61% are from North America, with the remainder from Europe/Great Britain;

• 65% were rock musicians, the remainder R&B, pop, new wave, rap, electronica;

• 59% performed in bands, 29% were solo artists, and 12% combined both formats.

Only artists who were active between 1950 and 1990 were included in the study in order to trace their lifespan until at least the end of 2023.

What the scientists found out

• Famous singers lived to be 75 years old on average,

• and their lesser-known counterparts lived to 79.

That is, fame was associated with about four years of "minus" to the average life expectancy.

Even taking other factors into account:

• famous performers were 33 per cent more at risk of early death than their matched "non-famous" counterparts.

Interestingly:

• being in a band reduced the risk of death by 26% compared to a solo career,

• but that didn't cancel out the overall effect of fame.

In only 0.6% of the artists (two people) did fame come posthumously, and the increased risk of death appeared just after fame was achieved and remained significant during the period of fame. This suggests in favour of the fact that:

• it's not about "early death-prone" people,

• and it's not that early death makes someone a legend,

• but that the turning point is the fact of becoming famous.

The authors compare the effect of fame in magnitude to other health-related risks - for example, occasional smoking, which increases the risk of death by about 34 per cent.

Possible causes and limitations

The study is observational in nature, so it cannot be definitively said that it is fame that "causes" shortened life.

There are also limitations:

• only singers and only from North America and Europe/UK were considered;

• the results may not apply to film stars, sports stars, bloggers or artists from other regions.

However, the authors offer a plausible explanation:

Fame is accompanied by specific psychosocial stressors - harsh public attention, pressure of expectations, constant appearances, and loss of privacy.

Such stressors:

• amplify psychological dysfunction,

• encourage harmful coping strategies (alcohol, drugs, risky behaviour),

• overlap with musicians' existing professional risks.

The researchers emphasise another paradox:

• fame often brings high income, while wealth is on average associated with a longer and healthier life;

• but in this case, the negative effects of stardom outweigh the benefits of high status and money.

The authors conclude:

Celebrity performers are a vulnerable group who need targeted mental health support and advocacy despite outward well-being and wealth.