- A lot of celebrities seem to die at the age of 27, a trend that’s been dubbed the “27 Club.”
- Statistics show it’s a myth. 56 is actually the age with the highest celebrity death rate.
- Nonetheless, the number sticks in the popular imagination. Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Jimi Hendrix all died at that age.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more.
Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin – a lot of celebrities seem to to die when they’re 27 years old.
The “27 Club” was a term invented to categorize this unsettling trend. At first, it referred to famous musicians who died at that age, like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. In the past few years, the term has grown to encompass more artists, like Anton Yelchin and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Actual statistical research shows that the “27 Club” is a myth. Celebrities aren’t more likely to die at the age of 27. If anything, the age 56 actually has the highest death rate. And more celebrities die at the age of 28 than 27.
Still, the number exerts a hold on the popular imagination.
Here's a list of 12 of the 27 Club's most famous members.
Kurt Cobain (1967-1994)
The Nirvana co-founder was at the top of the rock world before committing suicide in his home.
Amy Winehouse (1983-2011)
Winehouse was responsible for the bestselling British album of the 21st century, "Back to Black," in 2006. She died just three years later, of alcohol poisoning.
Jim Morrison (1943-1971)
The lead singer of The Doors was an icon of youth counterculture in the 1960s. The cause of his death remains a mystery. He was found dead in a bathtub in Paris.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988)
The neoimpressionist and graffiti artist achieved fame few artists do, much less artists so young. He died of a heroin overdose in his Manhattan art studio.
Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
One of rock's biggest pioneers, Joplin died of a heroin overdose. Less than a year later, her final album, "Pearl," was released and shot straight to the top of the Billboard charts.
Robert Johnson (1911-1938)
Johnson had a small following when he was alive, but his talent became clear to a bigger audience after the re-issue of his album "King of the Delta Blues Singers" in 1961. His folk-blues sound influenced more contemporary rock bands in the following decades.
Few details of his life are known with certainty, but he's thought to have died from strychnine poisoning and pneumonia.
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
Hendrix was famous for rocketing to the top of the rock world in just a brief, four-year music career. With his creativity with the guitar, he bridged blues, R&B and jazz to rock 'n' roll. The precise details of his death are disputed. He took nine sleeping pills the night before he died.
Brian Jones (1942-1969)
The original founder and leader of the Rolling Stones was ousted in 1969 as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards took over its musical direction. Less than a month later, he was found at the bottom of his swimming pool.
Jonathan Brandis (1976-2003)
Brandis gained fame as a child actor on "One Life to Live" and became a teen idol, leading the 1990 miniseries adaptation of Stephen King's "It." He died by suicide.
Richey Edwards (1967-1995)
Edwards was the rhythm guitarist of Manic Street Preachers, a Welsh punk rock band active since the 1980s, and was the band's main lyricist.
He disappeared on February 1, 1995. Two weeks later, his car was found near the Severn Bridge. It's widely believed that he jumped off. Police declared him "presumed dead" in 2008 after years of fruitlessly searching for other clues.
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (1945-1973)
The founding member and original front man of the Grateful Dead is noted for bringing the influence of the Blues to the band's sound. He died from gastrointestinal bleeding after complications from alcoholism and a rare autoimmune disease called congenital biliary cirrhosis.
Anton Yelchin (1989-2016)
Yelchin came to prominence after starring in the 2002 science fiction miniseries "Taken," produced by Steven Spielberg, when he was just 12 years old. Years later, he played his most famous character in another science fiction series, as Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movies. The actor died in a car accident outside of his home.
