Study: Pop stars likely to die young

A study has found pop stars are more than twice as likely as others to die young.

The research, to be published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, looked at the lives of 1,000 stars in Europe and the USA between 1956 and 1999.

It found their risk of death was more than doubled between two and 25 years after they became famous.

However, Europeans fared better than American - their average age of death was 35 while in the US it was 42.

Between 1996 and 2005 a total of 100 pop stars died and drug or alcohol-related problems, or overdosing, were relevant in a quarter of cases.

The report concludes: "Pop stars can suffer high levels of stress in environments where alcohol and drugs are widely available, leading to health-damaging risk behaviour.

"However, their behaviour can also influence would-be stars and devoted fans. Collaborations between health and music industries should focus on improving both pop star health and their image as role models to wider populations."