Fame itself may be critical factor in shortening singers’ lives

European/US stars seem to die around 4 years earlier than those not in the limelight; Effects of fame comparable to certain other health risks, suggest the researchers

BMJ Group

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Fame itself may be a critical factor in shortening singers’ lives beyond the hazards of the job—at least those in the UK/Europe and North America—suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

These stars seem to die around 4 years earlier, on average, than their peers who haven’t achieved celebrity status, and the effects of fame are on a par with certain other health risks, suggest the researchers.

Previously published research indicates that famous singers tend to die earlier than the general public. But it’s far from clear whether it’s fame itself, the demands of the music industry, or the lifestyle associated with being a musician, which contribute to this heightened risk, explain the researchers.

To shed more light on this conundrum, they retrospectively compared the risk of death in 648 singers, half of whom had achieved celebrity status and half of whom hadn’t. 

Each of the 324 stars was matched for birth year, gender, nationality, ethnicity, music genre and solo/lead singer in a band status with their lesser known peers. 

Most (83.5%) were male, and the average year of birth was 1949, but ranged from 1910 to 1975. Over half (61%) the singers were from North America, with the remainder from Europe/the UK. And most were White (77%), with only 19% being of Black and 4% of other or mixed ethnicities. 

Most singers were in the Rock genre (65%), followed by R&B (14%), Pop (9%), New-Wave (6%), Rap (4%), and Electronica (2%). Over half (59%) the singers were in a band; 29% were solo artists; and 12% performed both solo and in a band. 

The sample of famous singers was drawn from the Top 2000 Artists of All Time on acclaimedmusic.net, a database that aggregates global rankings based on published lists from music critics, journalists, and industry professionals, but not audience polls or sales data.

Only artists active after 1950 and before 1990 were included to gather sufficient tracking information on the risk of death by the end of December 2023.

Analysis of the data showed that, on average, famous singers survived until they were 75; less famous singers survived until they were 79. 

While band membership was associated with a 26% lower risk of death compared with going it alone, the inclusion of this variable didn’t influence the overall effect of fame, as famous singers were still 33% more likely to die earlier than their less well known counterparts.

Only two (0.6%) of the stars achieved fame posthumously, and the heightened risk of death started only once fame had been achieved and remained significantly associated throughout the period of fame. 

This suggests that the heightened risk of death isn’t attributable to baseline differences or to reverse causation, whereby earlier death contributes to fame, but that this risk emerges specifically after the attainment of fame, say the researchers.

“Together, the analyses indicate that an elevated risk emerges specifically after achieving fame, which highlights fame as a potential temporal turning point for health risks including mortality. Beyond occupational explanations, our findings suggest that fame adds further vulnerability within an already at-risk group,” they explain.

The heightened risk associated with fame is comparable to other known health risks, such as occasional smoking, which confers a heightened risk of death of 34%, they add.

This is an observational study, and as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the researchers acknowledge that their study sample wasn’t global and was confined to singers, meaning that their observations might not apply to other regions of the world or to other domains of fame, such as acting or sport.

But a possible explanation for the findings may lie in “the unique psychosocial stress that accompanies fame, such as intense public scrutiny, performance pressure, and loss of privacy,” they suggest.

“These stressors may fuel psychological distress and harmful coping behaviours, making fame a chronic burden that amplifies existing occupational risk,” they add.

Fame brings with it significant financial security, a factor that is frequently associated with healthy ageing, while wealth is usually associated with a lower risk of premature death, they point out.

But they conclude: “Being famous appears so detrimental that it overrides any potential benefits associated with high socioeconomic status. Again, this highlights the increased vulnerability of famous individuals, suggesting a need for targeted protection and support for this population.” 

 

 

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Journal

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

DOI

10.1136/jech-2025-224589 

Method of Research

Case study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The price of fame? Mortality risk among famous singers

Article Publication Date

25-Nov-2025

 

Daily coffee drinking may slow biological ageing of people with major mental illness

Major psychiatric disorders associated with shorter telomeres, indicative of cellular ageing 3-4 cups linked to longer telomeres, equal to 5 extra ‘biological’ years, say researchers But no such effects observed beyond this daily amount

BMJ Group

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Drinking a maximum of 3-4 cups of coffee a day may slow the ‘biological’ ageing of people with severe mental illness, by lengthening their telomeres—indicators of cellular ageing—and giving them the equivalent of 5 extra biological years, compared with non-coffee drinkers, finds research published in the open access journal BMJ Mental Health.

 

But no such effects were observed beyond this quota, which is the maximum daily intake recommended by several international health authorities, including the NHS and the US Food and Drug Administration.

 

Telomeres sit on the end of chromosomes and perform a role similar to the plastic tips on the end of shoelaces.  While telomere shortening is a natural part of the ageing process, it seems to be accelerated in those with major psychiatric disorders, such as psychosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, note the researchers.

 

Telomeres are sensitive to environmental factors, including, possibly, diet. And coffee, when drunk in moderation, has been associated with various health benefits, prompting the researchers to explore whether it might influence the rate at which telomeres shorten in people with major mental ill health.

 

They included 436 adult participants from the Norwegian Thematically Organised Psychosis (TOP) study, recruited between 2007 and 2018: 259 had schizophrenia; the rest (177) had affective disorders, including bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder with psychosis.

 

Participants were asked how much coffee they drank every day and were grouped into 4 categories: zero (44); 1–2 cups; 3–4 cups (110); and 5 or more cups. And they were asked whether they smoked, and if so, for how long they had done so.

 

Participants who drank 5+ cups a day were significantly older than those who drank none or 1–2 cups a day. And those with schizophrenia drank significantly more coffee than those with an affective disorder.

 

Smoking is associated with faster caffeine metabolism. And around three quarters of participants (77%; 337) smoked, and had done so, on average, for 9 years. And those drinking 5+ cups a day had smoked for significantly longer than any of the other groups.

 

Telomere length was measured from white blood cells (leucocytes) extracted from blood samples, and this revealed a significant difference among the 4 groups, forming a J shaped curve.

 

Compared with those drinking no coffee, drinking up to 3–4 cups a day was associated with longer telomeres, but not in those participants drinking 5 or more every day.

 

Those participants getting a daily 4-cup caffeine hit had telomere lengths comparable to a biological age 5 years younger than that of non-coffee drinkers after adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, tobacco use, type of mental ill health, and drug treatment.

 

This is an observational study, and, as such, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. And the researchers acknowledge that they had no information on potentially influential factors, including the type and timing of the coffee consumed, actual caffeine levels, or other sources of caffeinated drinks.

 

But there are plausible biological explanations for their findings, they suggest. These include the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds found in coffee.

 

“Telomeres are highly sensitive to both oxidative stress and inflammation, further highlighting how coffee intake could help preserve cellular ageing in a population whose pathophysiology may be predisposing them to an accelerated rate of ageing,” they explain.

 

Coffee is popular worldwide, with an estimated 10.56 billion kilos consumed around the globe in 2021-2 alone, they point out.

 

But despite its potential benefits, “consuming more than the daily recommended amount of coffee may also cause cellular damage and [telomere] shortening through the formation of reactive oxygen species,” they caution, emphasising that international health authorities recommend limiting caffeine intake to a maximum of 400 mg/day (4 cups of coffee).

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Journal

BMJ Mental Health

DOI

10.1136/bmjment-2025-301700 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Coffee intake is associated with telomere length in severe mental disorders

Article Publication Date

25-Nov-2025

 

New highly efficient material turns motion into power – without toxic lead

University of Birmingham

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image: 

From left, Dr Benjamin M. Gallant, Dr Dominik J. Kubicki and Dr Shrestha Banerjee in front of a solid-state NMR instrument in the Molecular Sciences Building at the University of Birmingham. 

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Credit: University of Birmingham/University of Oxford

Scientists have developed a new material that converts motion into electricity (piezoelectricity) with greater efficiency and without using toxic lead - paving the way for a new generation of devices that we use in everyday life.

Publishing their discovery in Journal of the American Chemical Society today (26 Nov) researchers from the University of Birmingham, University of Oxford, and University of Bristol describe a material that is both durable and sensitive to movement - opening possibilities for a wide range of innovative devices such as sensors, wearable electronics, and self-powered devices.​

Based on bismuth iodide, an inorganic salt with low toxicity, the new soft, hybrid material rivals the performance of traditional lead-based ceramics but with lower toxicity and easier processing. It contains no lead compared to existing high-performance alternatives such as PZT (lead zirconate titanate), which is 60% lead, and can be produced at room temperature rather than 1000°C.

Piezoelectric materials generate electric charge when pressed or bent and can also deform when an electric field is applied. They are essential to technologies ranging from precision actuators – used in products like camera autofocus and inkjet printer pumps – to energy-harvesting sensors built into wearable technology like fitness trackers, smart clothing, and car airbag systems.

Lead author Dr Esther Hung, from the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics who led the research, said: “By fine-tuning the interactions between the organic and inorganic components, we were able to create a delicate structural instability that breaks symmetry in just the right way.

“This interplay between order and disorder is what gives the material its exceptional piezoelectric response. It’s a different approach to piezoelectricity than in traditional materials such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and that’s what’s led to these big improvements.”

The global piezoelectric materials market is worth over $35 billion and continues to grow rapidly - driven by demand in automotive, healthcare, robotics, and consumer electronics, where devices that convert motion into electricity or precise movement are essential.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham used single-crystal X-ray diffraction and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand the material’s behaviour. They found that the way that organic and inorganic parts stick together through halogen bonding can be used to change when and how the material changes its structure, as well as improving piezoelectric performance. This understanding could also be useful for enhancing piezoelectric performance in other materials that combine organic and inorganic elements.

Dr Benjamin Gallant from the University of Birmingham, who led the NMR study, said: “As an early career researcher, it’s exciting to participate in research with the power to transform our society - almost every device we use in our daily lives contains piezoelectrics.”

The research was jointly supervised by Professor Henry Snaith (Oxford), Dr Harry Sansom (Bristol), and Dr Dominik Kubicki (Birmingham), bringing together expertise in new materials, crystal design, and atomic-level structure characterisation.

Dr Dominik Kubicki from the University of Birmingham said: “With performance comparable to commercial piezoelectrics but made from non-toxic bismuth, this discovery is a new pathway toward environmentally responsible technologies that can power sensors, medical implants, and flexible electronics of the future.”

ENDS

For more information, please contact the Press Office at the University of Birmingham on pressoffice@contacts.bham.ac.uk or +44 (0)121 414 2772

IMAGE CAPTIONS – please credit University of Birmingham/University of Oxford:

• From left, Dr Benjamin M. Gallant, Dr Esther Y.H. Hung and Dr Harry C. Sansom conducting single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements on the new piezoelectric material using synchrotron radiation at the Diamond Light Source, Oxfordshire, UK.
•  From left, Dr Benjamin M. Gallant, Dr Dominik J. Kubicki and Dr Shrestha Banerjee in front of a solid-state NMR instrument in the Molecular Sciences Building at the University of Birmingham.
• A crystal of the newly discovered piezoelectric material viewed under a microscope.

Notes to editor:

• The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 8,000 international students from over 150 countries.
• 'Tailoring a lead-free organic–inorganic halobismuthate for large piezoelectric effect’ - Esther Y.H. Hung, Benjamin M. Gallant, Robert Harniman, Jakob Möbs, Santanu Saha, Khaled Kaja, Charles Godfrey, Shrestha Banerjee, Nikolaos Famakidis, Harish Bhaskaran, Marina R. Filip, Paolo Radaelli, Nakita K. Noel, Dominik J. Kubicki, Harry C. Sansom, and Henry J. Snaith is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c15484

 

 

About the University of Oxford

• Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the tenth year running, and ​number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
• Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
• Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing around £16.9 billion to the UK economy in 2021/22, and supports more than 90,400 full time jobs.

  

A crystal of the newly discovered piezoelectric material viewed under a microscope

Credit

University of Birmingham/University of Oxford

Dr Benjamin M. Gallant, Dr Esther Y.H. Hung and Dr Harry C. Sansom conducting single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements on the new piezoelectric material using synchrotron radiation at the Diamond Light Source, Oxfordshire, UK.

Credit

University of Birmingham/University of Oxford

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Journal

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI

10.1021/jacs.5c15484 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Tailoring a lead-free organic–inorganic halobismuthate for large piezoelectric effect

Article Publication Date

26-Nov-2025