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A study found that life in the limelight can shorten lives by around 4.6 years
Ella PickoverTuesday 25 November 2025 23:30 GMT_-The-Original-Dye-Transfer-Print-Artwork-for-David-Bowies-Aladdin-Sane-(Eyes-Shut).jpeg)
open image in galleryDavid Bowie died aged 39 (Duffy Archive/David Bowie Archive/Bonhams)
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Living in the spotlight as a household name could shorten a celebrity’s life, a new study suggests.
Despite the glitz and glamour of showbiz, researchers found that life in the limelight can shorten lives by around 4.6 years.
Previous studies have found that famous singers tend to die earlier than people in the general public.
But a group of German academics wanted to see whether fame played a role.
The latest research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, examined data on 648 singers.
Half of the group were deemed to be famous while the other half had not achieved stardom.
The group of famous singers was drawn from the Top 2,000 Artists of All Time on acclaimedmusic.net.
The average age of the singers was 67.
The research, known as a retrospective matched case control study, saw academics match each famous singer to a less famous singer based on certain characteristics, including their gender, nationality, ethnicity and their genre of music as well as whether they were in a band or a solo artist.
The academics studied 99 famous solo artists compared with 90 less famous solo singers.
Some 207 famous people studied were in a band while 175 less famous singers were in a band.
The rest of the people involved in the study had worked as soloists and as part of a group.
open image in galleryFamous singers had a 33 per cent higher mortality risk compared with less famous singers (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)The researchers examined data from people across various musical genres including rock, pop, R&B, rap, electronica and new wave.
They found that famous singers lived to an average age of 75 while less famous singers lived to 79.
“The results showed that famous singers had a 33 per cent higher mortality risk compared with less famous singers,” the authors wrote.
They added: “The result offers new evidence linking fame with higher mortality risk.
“The increased mortality risk associated with fame is comparable to other well known health risks such as occasional smoking.
“Given that these conditions are widely recognised as serious health threats requiring preventive measures, the similar impact of fame on mortality suggests that being famous is an important factor influencing longevity and underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate its detrimental effects on longevity.”
They said that their study suggests that the elevated risk emerges “specifically after achieving fame”.
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They said this “highlights fame as a potential temporal turning point for health risks including mortality”.
But the research team point out that solo artists appeared to carry a higher risk of early death compared to singers in a band.
“Possible explanations for this include increased individual exposure to the public with the accompanying higher emotional strain,” they said.
“Being in a band may offer emotional and practical support, while solo artists may face more isolation and stress.”
The 10 top artists on the acclaimedmusic.net include The Beatles; Bob Dylan; The Rolling Stones; David Bowie; Bruce Springsteen; Radiohead; Neil Young; Led Zeppelin; The Beach Boys and Prince.
Among these stars, John Lennon died aged 40; George Harrison died when he was 58 and three members of the Rolling Stones have died – founding member Brian Jones died aged 27, co-founder and keyboardist Ian Stewart died aged 47 and drummer Charlie Watts died aged 80.
David Bowie died when he was 69; John Bonham drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin died when he was 32; among The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson died earlier this year aged 82, Carl Wilson died age 51; Dennis Wilson drowned when he was 39 and Prince died aged 57.
