Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences
Objectives Rock and pop fame is associated with risk taking, substance use and premature mortality. We examine relationships between fame and premature mortality and test how such relationships vary with type of performer (eg, solo or band member) and nationality and whether cause of death is linked...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2012-12-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e002089.full |
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| author | Mark A Bellis Karen Hughes Olivia Sharples Tom Hennell Katherine A Hardcastle |
| author_facet | Mark A Bellis Karen Hughes Olivia Sharples Tom Hennell Katherine A Hardcastle |
| author_sort | Mark A Bellis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Rock and pop fame is associated with risk taking, substance use and premature mortality. We examine relationships between fame and premature mortality and test how such relationships vary with type of performer (eg, solo or band member) and nationality and whether cause of death is linked with prefame (adverse childhood) experiences.Design A retrospective cohort analysis based on biographical data. An actuarial methodology compares postfame mortality to matched general populations. Cox survival and logistic regression techniques examine risk and protective factors for survival and links between adverse childhood experiences and cause of death, respectively.Setting North America and Europe.Participants 1489 rock and pop stars reaching fame between 1956 and 2006.Outcomes Stars’ postfame mortality relative to age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched populations (USA and UK); variations in survival with performer type, and in cause of mortality with exposure to adverse childhood experiences.Results Rock/pop star mortality increases relative to the general population with time since fame. Increases are greater in North American stars and those with solo careers. Relative mortality begins to recover 25 years after fame in European but not North American stars. Those reaching fame from 1980 onwards have better survival rates. For deceased stars, cause of death was more likely to be substance use or risk-related in those with more adverse childhood experiences.Conclusions Relationships between fame and mortality vary with performers’ characteristics. Adverse experiences in early life may leave some predisposed to health-damaging behaviours, with fame and extreme wealth providing greater opportunities to engage in risk-taking. Millions of youths wish to emulate their icons. It is important they recognise that substance use and risk-taking may be rooted in childhood adversity rather than seeing them as symbols of success. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f3f94af753bf435cb9fd830623489d30 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-12-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-f3f94af753bf435cb9fd830623489d302025-02-08T18:10:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552012-12-012610.1136/bmjopen-2012-002089Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiencesMark A Bellis0Karen Hughes1Olivia Sharples2Tom Hennell3Katherine A Hardcastle4Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK1Policy and International Health, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Investment for Health and Well-being, Public Health WalesCentre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Health, Manchester, UKCentre for Public Health, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UKObjectives Rock and pop fame is associated with risk taking, substance use and premature mortality. We examine relationships between fame and premature mortality and test how such relationships vary with type of performer (eg, solo or band member) and nationality and whether cause of death is linked with prefame (adverse childhood) experiences.Design A retrospective cohort analysis based on biographical data. An actuarial methodology compares postfame mortality to matched general populations. Cox survival and logistic regression techniques examine risk and protective factors for survival and links between adverse childhood experiences and cause of death, respectively.Setting North America and Europe.Participants 1489 rock and pop stars reaching fame between 1956 and 2006.Outcomes Stars’ postfame mortality relative to age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched populations (USA and UK); variations in survival with performer type, and in cause of mortality with exposure to adverse childhood experiences.Results Rock/pop star mortality increases relative to the general population with time since fame. Increases are greater in North American stars and those with solo careers. Relative mortality begins to recover 25 years after fame in European but not North American stars. Those reaching fame from 1980 onwards have better survival rates. For deceased stars, cause of death was more likely to be substance use or risk-related in those with more adverse childhood experiences.Conclusions Relationships between fame and mortality vary with performers’ characteristics. Adverse experiences in early life may leave some predisposed to health-damaging behaviours, with fame and extreme wealth providing greater opportunities to engage in risk-taking. Millions of youths wish to emulate their icons. It is important they recognise that substance use and risk-taking may be rooted in childhood adversity rather than seeing them as symbols of success.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e002089.full |
| spellingShingle | Mark A Bellis Karen Hughes Olivia Sharples Tom Hennell Katherine A Hardcastle Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences BMJ Open |
| title | Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| title_full | Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| title_fullStr | Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| title_short | Dying to be famous: retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| title_sort | dying to be famous retrospective cohort study of rock and pop star mortality and its association with adverse childhood experiences |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/6/e002089.full |
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