[kj] OT: Newsflash: Study shows rock stars more likely to die earlier than average public

[Darren A. Peace]

Fucking hell, that's a shocker.

One of the dullest jobs I ever did involved my being seated in the actuarial
department of a large insurance company in Cheltenham. Apart from trying to
bugger up the pension schemes of a certain headband-wearing guitarist and
purported "singer" from a highly successful but terminally shit band popular
in the eighties (who also gave that Sting fellow some gratuitous
encouragement) but handily had a name which was similar to a condition
involving the passage of loose, watery stools, I had a look at the tables
governing the highest risk occupations, which they used to calculate life
insurance premiums. Rock stars and classical musicians had to pay quite a
lot more than most other occupations (including mountaineers and
spelunkers). Didn't surprise me then either.

Darren
Hungerford, UK

-----Original Message-----
From: gathering-bounces at misera.net [mailto:gathering-bounces at misera.net] On
Behalf Of B. Oliver Sheppard
Sent: 04 September 2007 10:16
To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
Subject: [kj] OT: Newsflash: Study shows rock stars more likely to die
earlier than average public


  Rock stars more likely to die prematurely



By Tim Castle
Mon Sep 3, 7:06 PM ET

Rock stars -- notorious for their "crash and burn" lifestyles -- really 
are more likely than other people to die before reaching old age.

A study of more than 1,000 mainly British and North American artists, 
spanning the era from Elvis Presley to rapper Eminem, found they were 
two to three times more likely to suffer a premature death than the 
general population.

Between 1956 and 2005 there were 100 deaths among the 1,064 musicians 
examined by researchers at the Centre for Public Health at Liverpool 
John Moores University.

As well as Presley, the toll of those dying before their time included 
Doors singer Jim Morrison, guitar hero Jimi Hendrix, T Rex star Marc 
Bolan and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain.

More than a quarter of all the deaths were related to drugs or alcohol 
abuse, said the study in the Journal of Epidemial Community Health.

"The paper clearly describes a population of rock and pop stars who are 
at a disproportionate risk of alcohol and drug related deaths," said 
Mark Bellis, lead author of the study.

He said the study raised questions about the suitability of using rock 
stars for public health messages such as anti-drug campaigns when their 
own lifestyle was so dangerous.

"In the music industry, factors such as stress, changes from popularity 
to obscurity, and exposure to environments where alcohol and drugs are 
easily available, can all contribute to substance use as well as other 
self-destructive behaviors," the report said.

FIRST FIVE YEARS RISK

It found that musicians were most at risk in the first five years after 
achieving fame, with death rates more than three times higher than normal.

Hendrix, Bon Scott of AC/DC and punk rocker Sid Vicious all died within 
five years of hitting the big time, said Bellis.

Among British artists the risk of dying remains high until around 25 
years after their first success, when they return to near normal life 
expectancy.

That bodes well for rock survivors like The Who's 63-year-old Roger 
Daltrey, who famously first sang "I hope I die before I get old" in the 
song "My Generation" back in 1965.

But this trend was not found in North America, where ageing rockers 
remain almost twice as likely to suffer a premature demise, particularly 
from heart attack or stroke.

American stars Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, Carl Wilson of the 
Beach Boys and Johnny Ramone of the Ramones all died in their 50s.

Bellis suggested that the high death rate among older American musicians 
could be related to the continent's greater appetite for reunion tours, 
exposing the artists for more years to an unhealthy "rock'n'roll" lifestyle.

It could also be due to the poor medical outlook for impoverished 
American ex-pop stars who have no health insurance, he said.

_______________________________________________
Gathering mailing list
Gathering at misera.net
http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering