STUDY: HALF OF RAPPER DEATHS ARE MURDERS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Among rappers who die, one in two die of murder. That’s according to a study by Dianna Theadora Kenny, professor of psychology and music at the University of Sydney. She examined the deaths of more than 13,000 musicians and found that 51 percent of deaths in rap and 51.5 percent in hip-hop were murders. Her study found murder was the cause in just 6 percent of musician deaths overall. Kenny tells The Washington Post it does not mean rappers will die from murder, but the study provides a retrospective on past deaths. Her other findings: metal and punk musicians are at the biggest risk for accidental deaths; country, folk and jazz musicians tend to die of cancer; blues musicians tend to die of heart problems and gospel musicians have the lowest suicide rates.