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27 Club: Truth or Myth?

It is a well-known stigma that the musical entertainment industry is associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Aside from widespread substance abuse, the people involved in this industry tend to lead lifestyles prone to stress and poor health.

These trends are reflected by the infamous 27 club, a group of famous musical artists who suffered untimely deaths at the age of 27. The coincidental deaths of more than 50 arts at this same age has led many people to point to conspiracy while others point to the health risks associated with the industry. Whether or not the 27 club is something more than coincidence is a topic that is widely debated.

The Facts

An exceptionally large number of famous musical artists have seen lives end prematurely at the age of 27. Popular artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Janis Joplin all suffered deaths at this age due to unnatural causes. While Cobain took his own life, the other three artist’s deaths were caused by substance abuse. Most recently Amy Winehouse joined this group in 2011 when she passed away from an alcohol overdose according to this infographic courtesy of Clarity Way.

These artists represent a small fraction of the reported 50 musical artists who have suffered deaths at the age of 27. This astounding number has led medical specialists to study the lives of these individuals in order to get to the bottom of their early deaths.

Studies focused on the lifestyles of entertainers have found their average lifespan to be somewhere around 77 years. While this is low in comparison to non entertainers of similar circumstance, it does not offer any indication for the cause behind musical artists dying at the age of 27.

27 Club

With no medical evidence to explain these premature deaths many people believe that they are not merely coincidences. The similar nature in which these stars have passed also adds to the questions surrounding these deaths. Why were these individuals so addicted to drugs and alcohol? What is so significant about the age of 27 that caused their lifestyles to finally catch up with them? Questions like these support the claims that something strange was at play with the members of the infamous 27 club.

What We Do Know

While there is no proof of a strange force causing musicians to perish at the age of 27, there is also no scientific evidence to explain this phenomenon. While no single cause can be identified, common trends among the members of this fatal club offer a small level of explanation.

All of the musical artists in this group led abusive and unhealthy lifestyles. They drank frequently, used multiple drugs and worked in a stressful environment. The nature of their work offered little consistency as they were constantly on the road and never had the chance to settle down and take care of themselves.

While there is no true explanation as to why this lifestyle was conducive to fatality at the age of 27, it is apparent that these trends took their toll on these individuals. We may never know what caused the deaths of these talented people to occur at the same age. The aforementioned facts and speculation simply offer the basis upon which the 27 club’s skeptics and believers make their cases.

Adrienne is a music-obsessed designer.