Celebrities Die In Threes. Except When They Don't
We humans do hate randomness, don’t we? It’s what’s at the heart, I believe, of conspiracy theories; it’s too difficult for many people to believe that a lone gunman could kill a president, or that a small group of men armed with boxcutters could take over airplanes and change the way we all see the world. It’s understandable that so many people tend to believe conspiracy theories. It’s also nonsense.
Likewise, the old superstition that famous people die in threes (some “research” indicates this particular wives tale dates back to the 1960’s). Believers have their “proof” this month after the departures of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson in quick succession. Three celebrities! Game, set, match for the urban legend!
Except that celebrities also die in twos. And fours. In fact, if we add David Carradine and pitchman Billy Mays to our June list, that brings the celebrity death toll to five. Then again, Carradine died a few weeks before the others. So depending on what the exact time frame is for the “coming in threes” rule, we might have to exclude him. And Billy Mays… well, he wasn’t really a celebrity in the usual sense. He did commercials. Then again, so did Ed McMahon. Hmmm. This so-called rule seems quite unruly.
And that’s because it is. To even begin to apply a scientific measurement to this, we need to get a few things straight: how long is the period of time within which the celebrities have to die to say that it happened in threes? And exactly how is “celebrity” defined? Be loose enough with your standards, and I think you can find that notable people die in threes every day. I would volunteer to be the person who establishes these time/fame standards for examining the rule of threes…. But I’m kinda busy.
The threes rule is really just another conspiracy theory, just another way that people deal with death and randomness. Here’s one website that looked into the question (you’d be surprised how many people think about this—Google “celebrities dying in threes” and join the party!) that has an accurate take on it, I think:
It’s more proof that humans are pattern-seeking creatures, and when you factor in the lofty place celebrities occupy in our culture—how could he/she die? He/she is so famous??—it’s a way to deal with loss, not to mention a way to keep the wolf—the ultimate randomness of death-- outside our own door.
So, to sum up: yes, celebrities die in threes. So do opthamologists and people who have bowled 300-games. Except when they don’t. I would like to hear your comments on the matter, and I’m expecting some of you will defend the celebrities-die-in-threes rule quite passionately.
Comments: 9
So many famous people died within a short amount of time is indeed sad, but it also bring out the ugly truth that we often don't want to admit.
We often like to think we are in total control of our life. No we don't - we don't even know whether we will see tomorrow's sun.
very nicely put, KC
Hey Jim,
Thanks for at least trying to get the MTV VJ guy to discuss the whole early history of MTV not giving proper fair exposure of most Black recording artists back then, (including Michael). It was a good, honest attempt on your part to just get some historical facts & set the record straight, which of course, has moved on to greater things since then. Too bad the MTV man couldn't just admit the truth.
Many folks may criticize Wikipedia, but, more often than not, they seem to get it right.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV
Jim, Thanks again for trying!
(Oh, yeah,.. by the way,... seems everybody forgot about The Stones & Mick Jagger as far as great artists who've had an international multi-cultural impact. Brian Jones ol' group truly is "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band!" Jackson worked with him too on "State Of Shock".).
Also keep in mind we had six for the month of June. We also lost impressionist Fred Travalena on Sunday. Indeed this has been very sad and tragic.
Karl Malden has passed away; today. You need a little patience before you make assumptions
WTF? The Rolling Stones are "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band?" Are you for real??? It drives me crazy whenever someone says such nonsense.
Grayest, perhaps; Oldest, probably; Ugliest, truly. (Oh, wait, there's KISS, if you want to count them as a real band... Thank god for makeup!)
Anyway, ever hear of a little band called The Beatles? Now there's some talent for you. Even their demos and outtakes blow The Stones to hell. The Stones are still amateurs, even after all these years. They'll never catch up with the Fab Four no matter how old they get.
Jagger can't sing -- even Ringo is a better singer. Jagger can't write a decent song -- even Ringo's a better songwriter: Octopus's Garden, It Don't Come Easy, and Photograph are much better songs than anything Jagger ever wrote. Ringo even looks better than Jagger.
The Stones are overrated geezers. "You Can't Always Get What You Want" -- what a waste of time. Noise. Nonsense. Crap. I can't believe they play that embarrassing trash on the radio.
Some great, classic, genius, truly awesome Beatles songs right off the top of my (flat) head, which everyone knows:
Because, Come Together, Here Comes The Sun, Strawberry Fields Forever, Two Of Us, There's A Place, I Am The Walrus, Something, Eleanor Rigby, Across The Universe, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Let It Be, The Long And Winding Road, Michelle, The Word, Don't Let Me Down, Help, Ballad of John and Yoko, Here, There And Everywhere, Wait, Any Time At All... It'll be much easier, now that I think about it, if I just list their albums.
Some great Rolling Stones songs:
Sorry, none comes to mind. Please clue me in, if anyone can.
Here's a (small) list of celebrities I'd love to read about next in the obituaries, grouped in three's for your -- Jim Watkin's -- convenience:
Russell Crowe
Justin Timberlake
O.J. Simpson
Chris Brown
Eliot Spitzer
Jack Black
Shia LaBeouf
Christian Bale
Jamie Foxx
Barbara Walters
John Stossel
Kid Rock
Neal Shapiro
Eminem
Ice-T
Dane Cook
John Mayer
Rod Stewart
Any Three Baldwin Brothers
Any Three Jonas Brothers
Perez Hilton
Dave Berkowitz
Mark Chapman
Phil Spector
Marky Mark Wahlberg
Kobe Bryant
Osama bin Laden
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Elisabeth Hasselbeck
And many more. (To Be Continued...?)
ACCORDING TO THE L.A. CORONER'S OFFICE MICHAEL JACKSON'S LAST WORDS WERE "I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU JIM WATKINS"!
the grim reaper is an idiot