The more you read theories and watch videos about your favorite celebs, the more you’ll hear about the mysterious 27 Club. Some fans speak of this club with sadness, while others get excited that this is some kind of conspiracy that most of the world only whispers about (if they know of it at all).
In truth, the 27 Club is mostly a way that people try to explain how often their favorite celebrities end up dead. Just what is this club all about, and why are people still talking about it to this day? Keep reading to find out!
What is the 27 Club?
On paper, the 27 Club is very easy to understand. It simply refers to a string of celebrities over the years who died at the age of 27. On the most basic level, people discuss this “club” with others as a way of mourning the sad fact that some of the most talented celebrities often end up dying early, robbing the world of the chance to see more of their creative output into later years.
Mostly, though, the 27 Club is discussed by fans due to how many celebs manage to die at this very specific age. Is it all just a crazy coincidence, or do all the celebrities dying at this age have a deeper meaning? After reading more about this weird phenomenon, you’ll better be able to decide for yourself!
The club claims its latest victim
The original idea behind the 27 Club began decades ago (more on this later). Given that, you might wonder why this morbid fan theory is still alive after all these years. Tragically, the theory might have died out on its own if not for the fact that another high-profile celebrity death is always around the corner.
For example, Chance Perdomo recently died at the age of 27. This death sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood because the young actor had been getting more and more popular in recent years thanks to appearances in shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Gen V. Fans everywhere began discussing the existence of the 27 Club in hushed tones, forcing us to ask the big question: are celebrities statistically likelier to die at this tender age?
Is the theory behind the 27 Club accurate?
In case you were wondering, celebrities are not likelier to die at age 27 than any other age. In fact, celebs, like everyone else, are likelier to die at an older age than a younger age, and your favorite actors and musicians are statistically likelier to die at age 56 than age 27.
Why, then, does everyone focus on the 27 Club rather than, say, the 56 Club? As we touched on before, this is a way to help fans collectively mourn stars who were taken from us too early. On top of that, the whole idea of the 27 Club began due to some creepy coincidences when it came to celebrity deaths.
How did this rumor get started?
The idea of the 27 Club has been around for over half a century, and it has to do with a trio of sudden deaths in the music industry. Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones died in 1969, Jimi Hendrix died in 1970, and Morrison in 1971. They died from vastly different causes, but they had one thing in common: they were 27 when they passed away.
Their popularity and how the fact they all died so close together (three high-profile deaths in three years, all at the same age) led to the widespread idea that 27 is an age at which celebrities are more likely to leave this world. Again, there is no actual evidence for this idea, and the whole theory would have faded into obscurity if not for another high-profile death a few years back.
The modern resurgence of this theory
In 1994, Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain killed himself at the age of 27, which brought the idea of the 27 Club back into vogue once again. A mere 17 years later, gifted musical artist Amy Winehouse died at 27 thanks to alcohol poisoning brought on by her heavy drinking. Her timing was grimly perfect, bringing the theories about the 27 Club to an entirely new generation.
Five years after that, beloved actor Anton Yelchin died after his vehicle trapped him, and he passed away at 27 as well. Now that Chance Perdomo has died at this young age, we’re afraid the morbid idea of the 27 Club may never go away.
What can fans learn from the 27 Club?
We’ve already revealed that there is no actual science behind the 27 Club. Celebs are not likelier to die at this age, and we only focus on the ones who die at 27 because it seems like a strange coincidence. In fact, when you consider that this all started with Brian Jones’ death in 1969, it’s kind of amazing how few celebs are actually part of this club.
In other words, the 27 Club is fake, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from it. Mostly, the lesson here is simple: we never know when our favorite actors and artists could be taken from us. Instead of getting into endless online debates about these gifted people, we should instead cherish the time we have to enjoy everything they work so hard to give us.