Music is everywhere. We grow up listening to certain musicians that we can connect with, and their music becomes a part of our lives. We idolize them and feel as if we know them personally, even though most of the time we have never met them. But for some of our favorite stars, we’ll never get the chance, because they have become a part of the 27 Club. The 27 Club is an infamous group of musicians who have died at the young age of 27. Famous musicians have a higher death rate than non-famous people in the same age group. Watch the video infographic below to learn more about 27 Club’s five most famous members. Drugs or alcohol played a role in each of their early passing. Drugs and alcohol are strongly associated with the lifestyle that comes with fame, and because of that, there are more and more celebrities joining the 27 Club every year. Watch the video to learn more about the Dead Rockers Club. Those who entertain for a living seem drawn to the thrills of dangerous lifestyles. Many of them live hard and fast, dying younger than the rest of the population. The average lifespan of those in the entertainment and sports industry is 77.2 years old. By contrast, businesspeople and politicians live to the ripe old age of 83. Currently, the number of musicians who are members of the 27 Club is approximately 50. Watch the video infographic below to learn more about 27 Club’s five most famous members. Drugs or alcohol played a role in each of their early passings. Drugs and alcohol are strongly associated with the lifestyle that comes with fame, and because of that there are more and more celebrities joining the 27 Club every year.
Big Names, Short Lives
It is astonishing to see the breadth of talent that was stolen from us too soon through the use of drugs. Though there are dozens of names on the list, five talented rockers’ demises were particularly devastating, and two of them, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, died in the same year. Jimi Hendrix had a special brilliance with the guitar, using it in ways others could not even fathom. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame despite the fact that he played professionally for only four years. He struggled with alcohol and drug addiction that also led to an arrest for possession in Canada. Janis Joplin became famous as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company before launching her own solo music career. She’s perhaps best known for the song Me and Bobby McGee, her only tune that rose to No. 1. Joplin died from a heroin overdose, though she was also drunk when she passed away. She was hardly alone in her addiction. These days opiates are responsible for nearly a fifth of all drug- and alcohol-related hospital visits.
The Glamorization of Musicians’ Drug Problems
Many people glamorize these rock-and-roll icons who died young from drug overdoses or drug abuse. They seek to imitate their talent and their magnetism, but they also often imitate their behavior. This means seeing drug addiction and alcohol abuse as exciting when it’s actually dangerous. There has been a 250 percent increase in the number of prescription drug overdoses since 1999. Despite the known risks of using heroin, such as the all-too-soon passing of Joplin, some 9.2 million people are still addicted to the substance. In the United States, 100 people die each day of drug overdoses. Unlike those rock gods, their deaths go relatively unnoticed in the media, and so it’s easy to forget that there is a real problem with drug abuse in this country beyond the people who make sex, drugs, and rock and roll look so tempting. Did you find this video interesting or would you like to share it with a friend?
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Sources: NY Daily News NIAAA Bureau of Justice CDC
