Rock-star fame as bad for you as smoking, study claims

Wednesday, 26 November 2025 11:26

Being a famous rock star is a common dream, but a new study suggests it comes with an early grave.

Being a famous rock star is a common dream, but a new study suggests achieving that goal comes with an early grave.

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health examined the life expectancies of famous singers compared to those who never reached the limelight.

The stars were found to die about four years earlier - even though overall, wealthier social brackets are associated with a higher life expectancy.

But it's far from clear whether it's fame itself, the demands of the music industry, or the lifestyle associated with being a musician, which contributes to this heightened risk, explain the researchers.

The researchers compiled a list of 324 celebrity singers who were active between 1950 and 1990, and matched them with 324 non-celebrity singers for birth year, gender, nationality, ethnicity, music genre, and whether or not they were solo artists or in a band.

Of the sample, 83.5 per cent were male, 61 per cent were from North America, and the remainder from Europe and the UK.

Most singers (65 per cent) were rock artists, followed by RnB (14 per cent), pop (9 per cent), New Wave (6 per cent), rap (4 per cent) and electronica (2 per cent).

Fifty-nine per cent of the singers were in a band, 29 per cent were solo artists, and 12 per cent had careers spanning both.

Analysis of the data showed that, on average, famous singers survived until they were 75; less famous singers survived until they were 79.

As part of its strategy to reduce cancer rates, the European Commission aims to reduce tobacco use to less than 5 per cent of the EU population by 2040.

While band membership was associated with a 26 per cent lower risk of death compared with going it alone, the inclusion of this variable didn't influence the overall effect of fame, as famous singers were still 33 per cent more likely to die earlier than their less well-known counterparts.

"Together, the analyses indicate that an elevated risk emerges specifically after achieving fame, which highlights fame as a potential temporal turning point for health risks including mortality," the researchers said.

"Beyond occupational explanations, our findings suggest that fame adds further vulnerability within an already at-risk group."

The heightened risk associated with fame is comparable to other known health risks, such as occasional smoking, which confers a heightened risk of death of 34 per cent, they said.

A possible explanation for the findings may lie in "the unique psychosocial stress that accompanies fame, such as intense public scrutiny, performance pressure, and loss of privacy," they suggested.

"These stressors may fuel psychological distress and harmful coping behaviours, making fame a chronic burden that amplifies existing occupational risk," they said.

"Being famous appears so detrimental that it overrides any potential benefits associated with high socioeconomic status. Again, this highlights the increased vulnerability of famous individuals, suggesting a need for targeted protection and support for this population."

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