Do Celebrities Die in Threes?

Sadly, Gary Coleman, actor and icon of pop culture, passed away today. And it seems that most anytime a famous person of some sort dies, invariably we'll hear folks start talking about how celebrities always die in threes. But is it true? I'm the Uninformed Skeptic, and today on the Skeptic Squad blog we'll examine that very issue.

I must admit that when I hear the claim that "celebrities die in threes" it just doesn't sound true. I don't know everything, of course, but I believe I do know that the universe doesn't operate in such a way that the fate of famous people would be worked out in such a pattern. Creation doesn't spring from magic and death doesn't have a grand design. Though the claim seems to be without that certain "ring of truth" doesn't necessarily make it untrue, however.

In our examination, we should look at two things: One, what constitutes a celebrity? And two, how do we determind the "threes"? That is, is there a set timeframe we look at to determine if the death fits an agreed upon succession?

Let's look at what a celebrity is first. The problem is many people have a different view on who is or is not a celebrity. Are celebrities actors? Do they have to be on television? Movies? Must they be internationally known? What about musicians? Politicians? Is the person a celebrity if we haven't heard of them but many others have? Surely, in these cases of celebrity deaths which have allegedly happened in three's, who one person considers a celebrity might not be considered as such by another.

For instance, as of this writing, many deaths of noted men and women have occurred in the last week. There was Gary Coleman today but, working backward, I see that television personality Art Linkletter, actress Pat Stevens, musician Paul Gray, Major League Baseball player Jose Lima, screenwriter Simon Monjack, science writer Martin Gardner, and cartoonist Howard Post all passed away. Now, those are just the people who I was familiar with. But there were also dozens upon dozens more who I had not. They ranged from Indian politicians and actors to American athletes and an international group of musicians, poets, and more. So, who do we count as a celebrity and who do we not?

Secondly, and just as important to the claim, is the matter of "threes." As I have noted, dozens of notable figures have passed away within the last week. But what is the timeframe for determining the celebrities which make up one of the mythical three? Do they have to die on the same day? The same week? How about the same month? If they have to die in the same month, there is a host of other notable people who have passed away that will simply leave the concept of threes in the dust.

So therein lies the problem for purveyors of this popular myth. They like to chant the mantra that "celebrities die in threes" but have seemingly not bothered to define the two most important elements of their claim: What is a celebrity, and how do we know which dead celebrity is one, two, or three on the list? Until that is defined, this remains just another silly myth that people like to propagate that, upon examination, ultimately makes no sense at all.

But because I am calling myself the Uninformed Skeptic, I must recognize the limit of my own knowledge. Perhaps you know something that adds to this discussion. If so, or if you would just like to leave your feedback, please comment below. Until next time, this has been the Uninformed Skeptic writing for Skeptic Squad. Goodnight!


Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2010