# Have there been more Celebrity deaths than usual this year? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 12, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197 "2003-09-12T13:58:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/1 "2003-09-12T13:58:56Z")
We have lost quite a few famous names this year, seemingly much more than usual. Is this just a perception, or does anyone know of anything indicating that, yes, 2003 has been a major statistical abnomality in terms of celebrity deaths? [NB: I think this is more Cafe soceity than IMHO or GQ - others may disagree…] ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/2 "2003-09-12T14:28:57Z")
It sure seems that way! Just off the top of my head we have lost: Bob Hope Mr. Rogers Gregory Peck Johnny Cash June Carter Cash David Brinkley Bobby Bonds (Barry Bonds’ dad / former All-Star Baseball player) Warren Zevon Joe Strummer (From the Clash) And, of course since I’m trying to think of whoelse has died I can’t think of any more. But this is quite a few. Maybe it’s because there are just more famous people? John Ritter’s death was truly stunning to me. Most of the others had illnesses that they had been battling. ---
**Author:** ![Breezy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b3f665/32.png) [@Breezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Breezy)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/3 "2003-09-12T16:09:30Z")
Don’t forget about Katherine Hepburn. I have never really thought much about celebrities who pass away, but I find myself really torn up over Johnny Cash today. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/4 "2003-09-12T16:53:54Z")
You can see last year’s toll here: [http://www3.sympatico.ca/jenoff/obit02.htm](http://www3.sympatico.ca/jenoff/obit02.htm) Notable 2002 deaths up to this time last year: Dave Thomas Peggy Lee Waylon Jennings Howard K Smith Chuck Jones Spike Milligan Milton Berle Dudley Moore The Queen Mother Stephen J Gould John Entwhistle Ann Landers Rosemary Cloony Ted Williams Lionel Hampton I think it’s just a perception thing. ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/5 "2003-09-12T17:12:25Z")
Everyone seems to forget Barry White. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/6 "2003-09-12T18:11:19Z")
I think this is all just a matter of perception. Some of that is exemplified by the fact that two beloved people who were extremely aged, Hope and Hepburn, passed away. But if you go by sheer demographics, there will always be more “celebrity” deaths because: 1. the poplulation is bigger and we get more celebrities 2. people live longer and so you get people from different generations passing away close together (Cash and Ritter, although they were only 17 years apart in age, it’s still an example) 3. coincidence Sometimes death just catches up to you. I never had anyone close to me pass away and then in 1993 my mother passed away, my uncle in 1995, my grandmother in 2000, and my father last year. It just seemed that there was one heartwrenching death after another. It just happens. Whether or not you’re famous. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/7 "2003-09-12T18:51:32Z")
Have there been more people wondering if there have been more celebrity deaths this year than any other year this year than any other year? ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/8 "2003-09-12T19:07:29Z")
Nina Simone died back in May. ---
**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/9 "2003-09-12T19:59:06Z")
_Spike Milligan?!!!_ Oh man, how did I miss his passing? My favourite Muppets Show episode is with him and I also loved his war memoirs. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![ReaverPryde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@ReaverPryde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReaverPryde)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/10 "2003-09-12T23:29:04Z")
One of the guys I sing with came into rehearsal one day and said “Oh my god, dude! Barry White just died! I feel like I’ve just had my heart torn out or something!” Another one of my buddies asked “Lame! How did he die?” “Suffocated under a mountain of panties thrown up onstage during his last performance, no doubt.” I replied. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/11 "2003-09-13T01:18:53Z")
Until today (Johnny Cash’s death), I was far more upset about dear Wesley Willis’s passing than anyone else this year. I’m pretty sure Joe Strummer was 2002. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-there-been-more-celebrity-deaths-than-usual-this-year/201197/12 "2003-09-13T03:58:33Z")
I think what was so unusual about THIS year was so many deaths happened during the summer, in a short period of time, and they seemed to have doubled up occasionally this year.