Solo pop stars more likely to die young

PARIS (AFP) - Solo rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as counterparts who perform in groups, a study published in the journal BMJ Open said Wednesday. British researchers examined the fate of 1,489 rock and pop performers who had risen to fame in a study period that spanned half a century, from Elvis Presley in 1956 to the Arctic Monkeys in 2006. A total of 137, or 9.2 percent, died prematurely, at 45.2 years of age on average for North American stars and 39.6 for those in Europe. Substance abuse and car crashes accounted for nearly 40 percent of deaths, according to the probe.

The difference in life expectancy was huge when it came to solo performers, it found. Among the 114 US soloists documented in the study, 23 percent died at a younger age than the general population.