“Death of Comedians is Not Funny”
We can all recall the tragic deaths of comedians Robin Williams, Richard Jeni, Freddie Prinze, and Chris Farley. Perhaps the tears of a clown are justified after all. Are there hidden dangers to being hilarious? New research published in the International Journal of Cardiology set out to uncover whether stand-up comedians are more likely to die prematurely than comedic actors and dramatic actors. Results show stand-up comedians are more likely to die prematurely than actors. Prof. Simon Stewart wanted to see if there was any truth to the theory that comedians are more likely to die young. Prior studies by Prof. Stewart concluded that funnier comedians were more likely to die prematurely than their less funny counterparts. Stewart hypothesized that if funnier people did indeed die prematurely, those involved in the purest comedic art form – stand-up – would be the most at risk. His study is titled, “Is the last ‘man’ standing in comedy the least funny? A retrospective cohort study of elite stand-up comedians versus other entertainers.”
