My daughters expressed sorrow today that one DJ Avicii had passed away. The electronic music star from Sweden, Tim Bergling, also known as Avicii had passed away while in Muscat, Oman for a holiday. There is no official reason given for his death, though he was known to have had several health problems and surgeries in the past few years. What I found startling about his death was his age.
He was a chart topping DJ who had worked with the best in the business. Performers have expressed shock and grief. A few years ago, he underwent surgeries to have his gall bladder and appendix removed. He had also been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis because of excessive drinking.
His health had been improving and his recent photos showed him to be happy and enjoying himself. However, he passed away at the age of just 28. Numerous young people in showbiz have passed away at about this age.
Drug abuse, alcohol poisoning, suicide and death by other violent means – so many young celebrities have passed away at this age. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Doors lead singer Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, more recently Amy Winehouse and so many others have all died at the age of 27. Most of these deaths are connected to alcohol, or banned substances or some violent means.
Jiah (Nafisa) Khan who had acted in movies such as Nishabd with Amitabh Bachchan, committed suicide at the age of 27. Model, Miss India and VJ Nafisa Joseph also died at age 26 when she hung herself in her Versova flat.
The British Medical Journal conducted a study to examine whether the risk of death for musicians seems to rise at the age of 27. They found that while it wasn’t precisely at the age of 27, the risk of death for musicians was in fact higher during their 20s and 30s. The average life expectancy of a person in the western world is about 75; however the life expectancy of a musician is about 36 – this is a telling statistic!
There is this uncanny and disquieting propensity that a lot of musicians seem to have had of dying young. Is it that fame and public adulation brings about insecurities that lead to these tortuous and torturous lives? Is it simply an inability to deal with fame and sudden wealth that leads so many young, talented people to risky behaviors and lifestyles? Or does the self-destructive behavior stem from character flaws that typically coexist with a brilliant and creative bent of mind?
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