Post by Jai Guru Deva on Sept 5, 2007 10:51:47 GMT -5
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20581183
ROCKERS REALLY ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE EARLY
Study points to drug, alcohol abuse as factors in stars’ premature deaths
Updated: 1:41 a.m. PT Sept 4, 2007
LONDON - Living fast and dying young has long been part of rock ’n’ roll lore.
And now there are statistics that affirm the image, according to a study released Tuesday.
Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, whose report appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, studied a sample of North American and British rock and pop stars and concluded they are more than twice as likely to die a premature death as ordinary citizens of the same age.
The team studied 1,064 stars from the rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronic and new age genres in the “All Time Top 1,000” albums published in 2000. They compared each artist’s age at death with that of European and U.S. citizens of similar backgrounds, sex and ethnicity.
Mark Bellis, leader of the study, said his research showed the stereotype of rock stars was true — recreational drugs and alcohol-fueled parties take a toll.
The report found that, between two and 25 years after the onset of fame, the risk of death was two to three times higher for music stars than for members of the general population matched for age, sex, nationality and ethnic background.
In all, 100 of the stars studied had died — 7.3 percent of women and 9.6 percent of men. They included Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
The average age of death was 42 for North American stars and 35 for European stars.
Long-term drug or alcohol problems accounted for more than one in four of the deaths, the study found. The first years of success are the most dangerous, with both British and American musicians three times more likely to die than the average person during that time.
While the music world is not only filled but also fueled these days by aging music stars — Paul McCartney
, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan among them — industry observers were not surprised by the findings.
“Being a pop star is a crash-and-burn sort of lifestyle,” said rock journalist and broadcaster John Aizlewood. “If you go into it, you want adulation. You want to respond to the crowd. You can’t be a pop star in isolation. If you need that adulation, you obviously have other needs.
“It was ever thus. If you look back to Victorian times — Byron, Shelley those kind of people — being creative requires living on the edge in a way that being in insurance doesn’t.”
Dr. Tim Williams, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction at the University of Bristol, also said the increased mortality might be a byproduct of the artistic personality.
“You could argue that rock stars and pop stars have a sensation-seeking personality, that they have this desire to put themselves in these terrifying situations — performing in front of a large group of people — that also makes them vulnerable to dependence on substances, which markedly increases mortality,” he said.
In good news for aging rockers, the study found that after 25 years of fame, stars’ death rates began to return to normal — at least in Europe. A European star still living 25 years after achieving fame faces a similar mortality rate to the European public. U.S. artists, however, continue to die in greater numbers.
The study said this difference “might be explained by differences in longer-term experience of fame, with more performing in later years ... continued media interest and associated stress and substance use in North American pop stars.”
Additionally, said Bellis, “Many (U.S. musicians) die in poverty and there is not the same type of public-health provision there” as in Europe.
MSNBC
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news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6976583.stm
WHY ROCK AND ROLL STARS DIE YOUNG
They say rock and pop stars live life in the fast lane and now researchers have proved it.
A Liverpool John Moores University study of 1,050 US and European artists found they are twice as likely to die early than the rest of the population.
In all, 100 stars died between 1956 and 2005 with US stars dying at 42 on average and those from Europe at 35.
Drug and alcohol problems accounted for one in four deaths, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health said.
DYING YOUNG
Elvis Presley - 'The King' died aged 42 of a drug overdose
Jim Morrison - The Doors lead singer died in 1971 at the age of 27 from a heart attack Kurt Cobain Struggled with drug addiction in his later years, the Nirvana frontman committed suicide at 27
Tupac Shakur - The rapper was killed in drive-by shooting in Las Vegas after being shot four times. He was 25
It comes after singer Amy Winehouse hit the headlines recently over what her family has called a drug addiction.
Researchers said the findings - in particular about substance abuse - should be looked at seriously by the music industry.
They said this was important as the artists had an influence on others with one in 10 children in the UK aspiring to be a pop star.
'Excessive behaviour'
Lead researcher Professor Mark Bellis said: "Public health consideration needs to be given to preventing music icons promoting health-damaging behaviour among their emulators and fans.
"Stars could do more to actively promote positive health messages, but these need to be backed up by example."
... AND THE ONES THAT DID NOT
John Lee Hooker - The blues singer died in 2001 at the age of 83. He was performing right up until his death
Charles 'Chuck' Berry - Born in 1926, one of the pioneers of 'rock and roll'. Still going strong at 81
Richard Penniman - Better known by his stage name Little Richard, the singer started performing in the 1940s. He is now 75
Paul Stokes, news editor of the NME music magazine, added: "The problem is that rock stars often spend the first years of their careers struggling to get by and then get everything really quickly.
"There is no control mechanism and with a culture which often lauds excessive behaviour that spells problems."
Records industry group BPI said: "A very small minority do encounter problems, which due to their fame and success are played out in the media and given a greater prominence than those of young people in other walks of life.
"Record labels always seek to support the minority of artists who experience difficulties of this kind."
BBC NEWS
ROCKERS REALLY ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIE EARLY
Study points to drug, alcohol abuse as factors in stars’ premature deaths
Updated: 1:41 a.m. PT Sept 4, 2007
LONDON - Living fast and dying young has long been part of rock ’n’ roll lore.
And now there are statistics that affirm the image, according to a study released Tuesday.
Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University, whose report appeared in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, studied a sample of North American and British rock and pop stars and concluded they are more than twice as likely to die a premature death as ordinary citizens of the same age.
The team studied 1,064 stars from the rock, punk, rap, R&B, electronic and new age genres in the “All Time Top 1,000” albums published in 2000. They compared each artist’s age at death with that of European and U.S. citizens of similar backgrounds, sex and ethnicity.
Mark Bellis, leader of the study, said his research showed the stereotype of rock stars was true — recreational drugs and alcohol-fueled parties take a toll.
The report found that, between two and 25 years after the onset of fame, the risk of death was two to three times higher for music stars than for members of the general population matched for age, sex, nationality and ethnic background.
In all, 100 of the stars studied had died — 7.3 percent of women and 9.6 percent of men. They included Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix.
The average age of death was 42 for North American stars and 35 for European stars.
Long-term drug or alcohol problems accounted for more than one in four of the deaths, the study found. The first years of success are the most dangerous, with both British and American musicians three times more likely to die than the average person during that time.
While the music world is not only filled but also fueled these days by aging music stars — Paul McCartney
, Willie Nelson, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan among them — industry observers were not surprised by the findings.“Being a pop star is a crash-and-burn sort of lifestyle,” said rock journalist and broadcaster John Aizlewood. “If you go into it, you want adulation. You want to respond to the crowd. You can’t be a pop star in isolation. If you need that adulation, you obviously have other needs.
“It was ever thus. If you look back to Victorian times — Byron, Shelley those kind of people — being creative requires living on the edge in a way that being in insurance doesn’t.”
Dr. Tim Williams, a psychiatrist specializing in addiction at the University of Bristol, also said the increased mortality might be a byproduct of the artistic personality.
“You could argue that rock stars and pop stars have a sensation-seeking personality, that they have this desire to put themselves in these terrifying situations — performing in front of a large group of people — that also makes them vulnerable to dependence on substances, which markedly increases mortality,” he said.
In good news for aging rockers, the study found that after 25 years of fame, stars’ death rates began to return to normal — at least in Europe. A European star still living 25 years after achieving fame faces a similar mortality rate to the European public. U.S. artists, however, continue to die in greater numbers.
The study said this difference “might be explained by differences in longer-term experience of fame, with more performing in later years ... continued media interest and associated stress and substance use in North American pop stars.”
Additionally, said Bellis, “Many (U.S. musicians) die in poverty and there is not the same type of public-health provision there” as in Europe.
MSNBC
****************************************************
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6976583.stm
WHY ROCK AND ROLL STARS DIE YOUNG
They say rock and pop stars live life in the fast lane and now researchers have proved it.
A Liverpool John Moores University study of 1,050 US and European artists found they are twice as likely to die early than the rest of the population.
In all, 100 stars died between 1956 and 2005 with US stars dying at 42 on average and those from Europe at 35.
Drug and alcohol problems accounted for one in four deaths, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health said.
DYING YOUNG
Elvis Presley - 'The King' died aged 42 of a drug overdose
Jim Morrison - The Doors lead singer died in 1971 at the age of 27 from a heart attack Kurt Cobain Struggled with drug addiction in his later years, the Nirvana frontman committed suicide at 27
Tupac Shakur - The rapper was killed in drive-by shooting in Las Vegas after being shot four times. He was 25
It comes after singer Amy Winehouse hit the headlines recently over what her family has called a drug addiction.
Researchers said the findings - in particular about substance abuse - should be looked at seriously by the music industry.
They said this was important as the artists had an influence on others with one in 10 children in the UK aspiring to be a pop star.
'Excessive behaviour'
Lead researcher Professor Mark Bellis said: "Public health consideration needs to be given to preventing music icons promoting health-damaging behaviour among their emulators and fans.
"Stars could do more to actively promote positive health messages, but these need to be backed up by example."
... AND THE ONES THAT DID NOT
John Lee Hooker - The blues singer died in 2001 at the age of 83. He was performing right up until his death
Charles 'Chuck' Berry - Born in 1926, one of the pioneers of 'rock and roll'. Still going strong at 81
Richard Penniman - Better known by his stage name Little Richard, the singer started performing in the 1940s. He is now 75
Paul Stokes, news editor of the NME music magazine, added: "The problem is that rock stars often spend the first years of their careers struggling to get by and then get everything really quickly.
"There is no control mechanism and with a culture which often lauds excessive behaviour that spells problems."
Records industry group BPI said: "A very small minority do encounter problems, which due to their fame and success are played out in the media and given a greater prominence than those of young people in other walks of life.
"Record labels always seek to support the minority of artists who experience difficulties of this kind."
BBC NEWS
