Fame reduces a musician’s life expectancy.
A new study claims stardom can cut a musician’s lifespan by 4.6 years, a hit to longevity comparable to occasionally smoking cigarettes.
Researchers at the University of Witten/Herdecke in Germany analysed data from 648 singers, splitting them into two groups: the world-famous (such as David Bowie, Bob Dylan and The Beatles) and the far less-known performers quietly doing the pub circuits and opening slots.
Each famous singer was matched with a lesser-known counterpart by gender, nationality and genre to isolate stardom itself as the culprit.
The results were stark as famous singers lived to 75 on average while less-famous performers reached 79.
The researchers wrote: “The increased mortality risk associated with fame is comparable to other well-known health risks such as occasional smoking.”
The study suggests fame is a “turning point” that triggers new health dangers. The intense public scrutiny, pressure to constantly perform, and loss of privacy may combine into a stress cocktail that slowly chips away at longevity.
Even within the celebrity crowd, not all musicians were equal. Solo stars carried a higher mortality risk than their band-bound peers, who at least had “emotional and practical support” from fellow members.
The researchers do caution that the dataset was skewed — 83.5 per cent male, 16.5 per cent female — but say the pattern is clear enough to raise alarms.
They concluded: “Being famous is an important factor influencing longevity.”