Pop stars twice as likely to die early

LIVERPOOL, England, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- North American and European rock and pop stars are about twice as likely to die early and even more likely to do so within five years of becoming famous.

Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University found 100 stars died between 1956 and 2005. The findings are based on more than 1,050 North American and European musicians and singers who shot to fame from 1956 and 1999.

Long-term drug or alcohol problems accounted for more than one in four of the deaths of North American pop stars and 35 for European pop stars.

Some 25 years after achieving fame, European pop stars returned to the same levels of life expectancy as the rest of the population, however, North American pop stars continued to experience higher death rates, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reported.

One in 10 children in the United Kingdom aspires to become a pop star and the thousands try to participate in reality pop star programs, the researchers said.