Price of fame: Film and sports stars die younger
Source: Agencies |
April 19, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE price of fame can be high with an international study finding that people who enjoy successful entertainment or sporting careers tend to die younger.
Researchers Richard Epstein and Catherine Epstein said yesterday the study, based on analyzing 1,000 New York Times obituaries from 2009-2011, found film, music, stage performers and sports people died at an average age of 77.2 years.
This compared to an average lifespan of 78.5 years for creative workers, 81.7 for professionals and academics, and 83 years for people in business, military and political careers.
The Australian-based researchers said these earlier deaths could indicate that performers and sports stars took more risks in life, either to reach their goals or due to their success.
"Fame and achievement in performance-related careers may be earned at the cost of a shorter life expectancy," the researchers said. "In such careers, smoking and other risk behaviors may be either causes of effects of success and/or early death."
Britain's most high-profile celebrity publicist, Max Clifford, said the pressure that celebrities and sports stars put on themselves to succeed had to play a part, and even at the top they were always worried about who could replace them.
"People assume that fame and success is all about riches and happiness but as someone who has worked with famous people for 45 years I know that is not the case," Clifford said.
"The success becomes like a drug to them that they have to have and they are always worried about losing it so they push and push and work harder and harder. You have to be competitive in these fields otherwise it will not work," he said.
For the study the researchers separated the obituaries by gender, age, and cause of death as well as by occupation.
The study found that the list was heavily skewed towards men who accounted for 813 of the obituaries and the main causes of earlier deaths were linked to accidents, infections including HIV, and cancer.
Lung cancer deaths were most common in performers.
Researchers Richard Epstein and Catherine Epstein said yesterday the study, based on analyzing 1,000 New York Times obituaries from 2009-2011, found film, music, stage performers and sports people died at an average age of 77.2 years.
This compared to an average lifespan of 78.5 years for creative workers, 81.7 for professionals and academics, and 83 years for people in business, military and political careers.
The Australian-based researchers said these earlier deaths could indicate that performers and sports stars took more risks in life, either to reach their goals or due to their success.
"Fame and achievement in performance-related careers may be earned at the cost of a shorter life expectancy," the researchers said. "In such careers, smoking and other risk behaviors may be either causes of effects of success and/or early death."
Britain's most high-profile celebrity publicist, Max Clifford, said the pressure that celebrities and sports stars put on themselves to succeed had to play a part, and even at the top they were always worried about who could replace them.
"People assume that fame and success is all about riches and happiness but as someone who has worked with famous people for 45 years I know that is not the case," Clifford said.
"The success becomes like a drug to them that they have to have and they are always worried about losing it so they push and push and work harder and harder. You have to be competitive in these fields otherwise it will not work," he said.
For the study the researchers separated the obituaries by gender, age, and cause of death as well as by occupation.
The study found that the list was heavily skewed towards men who accounted for 813 of the obituaries and the main causes of earlier deaths were linked to accidents, infections including HIV, and cancer.
Lung cancer deaths were most common in performers.
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