How Old Will Your Favorite Rocker Live To?
Professor of Psychology and Music at University of Sydney, Dianna Theadora Kenny, looked into the life spans of musicians, wanting to find out if certain styles of music led to premature death. For the most part, yes.
Looking at the ages of musicians at their time of death, and which style of music they generally played, she found:
Blues and jazz artists’ average age of death was between 64 and 74, similar to the average American. Country and Gospel artists generally live into their mid 60′s. Pop & folk artists die around the age of 55.
A lot of rockers die around the age of 50. Punk & metal musicians die in their late 30′s. The biggest percentages are death by accident or suicide. Rap & hip-hop artists tend to check out before they are 30. A little over half of those deaths are homicides.