Of the 100 pop stars who had died, the average age of death was 35 for European musicians and 42 for American stars.
The study does not prove that being a pop star causes an early death, but it's clear that elements of the lifestyle are unhealthful, says Anton H. Hart, a psychologist and psychoanalyst in New York City who counts many professional musicians among his clients.
For example, Hart says, previous research suggests a bitter downside to fame that may lead to depression, anxiety, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior and general carelessness.
"Fame fulfills grandiose wishes to be known by everyone and loved by everyone," he says. "But it's a high you keep needing again and again, and you develop a tolerance for it. It turns out to be an empty high. It's exhilarating but gives way to a sense that fame is not as fulfilling as it was assumed to be. That is a very difficult and depressing thing."
The public -- and the music industry -- reinforces the high-risk lifestyles of pop stars, Hart suggests. We want them to act outrageously -- and they try to live up to that expectation.
"Part of their role is to act out and play out what most of us are simply too inhibited to do in our own lives," he says. "That's why we love them. They can get up and move and dance and flaunt themselves and act sexual in ways we would love to do. We need these icons to live out these things that we can't live out ourselves."
Pop stars also adhere to a tradition of rejecting conformity and remaining true to themselves. Standard health advice -- limiting alcohol intake, getting an annual flu shot and exercising at least three times a week -- may fit poorly with a pop star's self-image.
"They worry about authenticity, having street cred, being real rather than a sellout," Hart says. "High-risk behavior and drugs and alcohol play into this. Looking at risk and mortality, they may say, 'To hell with it. I'm just going to live, be in the moment.' "
Other celebrity-dependent industries, such as acting and professional sports, are sensitive to how their stars are viewed as role models, Bellis said. And almost every industry adheres to laws protecting workers from job-related hazards. Pop musicians are the exception, he said.
"Cultural change in any industry or population can be difficult," he said. "But it is likely that everyone would accept some measures to at least reduce deaths once the risk has been clearly identified."
