The greatest killer of rock stars isn't partying; It's cancer

You've heard of the "27 club," which counts popular musicians like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix who coincidentally died at age 27 as members. But is there a particular age that's cursed? In light of the recent deaths of David Bowie, who was 69, and the Eagles' Glenn Frey, who was 67, we took a look at the ages, years, and causes of rock star deaths.

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Is 60-something the new 27? Maybe. Although lots of rock stars have died in their 50s and 60s, which is below the average life expectancy for the rest of the population, but not terrible for a hard-living demographic where some of the brightest stars have made an early exit. Also, recently, it seems like more rock stars are dying from cancer than from overdoses. In the first half of this decade, 89 rock stars have died as a result of cancer, surpassing the 79 cancer-related deaths in the 2000s. Comparatively, there have only been 12 overdose-related deaths so far this decade.

Part of this may be due to the fact that the first generation of rock stars are actually old enough to be "old," and cancer rates tend to rise with age. And it also goes to show that while rock stars might be treated like deities in life, in death, they're just like the rest of us.

The post The Greatest Killer Of Rock Stars Isn't Partying; It's Cancer appeared first on Vocativ.

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