Do celebrities really die in threes? It always seems like it to me, but I also wonder if sometimes we go looking for that third person and call them a celebrity just so the pattern can continue.
30 Rock did a show about celebrities dying in threes. There had already been two and Tracy Jordan thought he was next, so he kept trying to goad Betty White into dying, but she was onto his game. Hilarity ensued.
I've heard that saying before but not with celebrities. I've heard people say people you know die in threes. I just don't pay much attention to it but thanks ENTY, now here I go looking for patterns.
I always noticed that celebrities did die in 3's too. I dont understand why some think its so strange, its just part of nature. Things seem to always happen in 3's and 7's
Humans die daily. Lots and lots of them. Some percentage of them will be celebrities. When you start counting up the deaths of celebrities, you can make whatever numerical patterns out of them you want to.
That's simple math: You just take your total, pick your "mystical" number and divide by it.
So if you want to believe that celebrities die in threes, then whenever a third celebrity bites it, you start your count over.
I don't know. When I worked in the cath lab, when we had one patient arrest, we'd have 2 more within 48 hours. It always seemed like it came in 3s to us. But we could have just been superstitious. And I've also noticed the death in 3s before as well. Who knows?
Linking death to threes appears to go back to World War One when soldiers were in opposing trenches. Many soldiers were smokers and often asked for a light. The legend was that if you held a match long enough to light three cigarettes that provided both time and target for the enemy to draw aim and fire. A number of sayings make sense in this context: death comes in three (i.e. number of targets clustered around match), third time lucky (i.e. third guy to light cigarette without getting shot), etc.
When two celebs die, I always wait for the third. Thanks @Kendra for finishing the circle for me, I didn't even think about Lily, and I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop!
Sometimes it seems like there is a connection running among the three -- Princess Diana died, followed shortly by Mother Teresa, for example. People turned it into a trio with Gianni Versace's death a month earlier; I think Diana had attended his funeral.
My mom told me about this ages ago. I believe that John Wayne and Bing Crosby passed in close proximity to each other in the 70's, but I can't remembe the third, I was just a babe then. Oh hell, I'm still a babe, but I digress. I beleive our paper actually ran a front page with with a drawing of the three together.
Ever since I first heard that theory (when Sonny Bono died), I've looked for that pattern, and I've never seen a set of three in a short time period. Two, four, a dozen, but never exactly three.
I've always heard people die in threes, not just celebs. I think when two die, you start looking for the third, and you notice it easier. Like never noticing a blue VW beetle til you buy one, then suddenly they're everywhere.
Yeah, I don't buy that deaths come in threes, celeb or otherwise. I have a friend who always immediately predicts two more deaths and then one more, and she's wrong almost without fail, but you try to point that out to her gently and she just ignores you. Next death, it's the exact same thing all over again.
We always look for patterns where none exist. Hence, astrology.
ReplyDeleteI've heard of bad luck coming in 3s but not of celebrities dying in 3s. It's a new one to me.
ReplyDelete30 Rock did a show about celebrities dying in threes. There had already been two and Tracy Jordan thought he was next, so he kept trying to goad Betty White into dying, but she was onto his game. Hilarity ensued.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that saying before but not with celebrities. I've heard people say people you know die in threes. I just don't pay much attention to it but thanks ENTY, now here I go looking for patterns.
ReplyDeleteWe look for the patterns - remember when the Oxy Clean guy got grouped with MJ and Farrah?
ReplyDeleteMichael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Ed McMahon was a big one but other than that, I really just think it's coincidence.
ReplyDeleteI always noticed that celebrities did die in 3's too. I dont understand why some think its so strange, its just part of nature. Things seem to always happen in 3's and 7's
ReplyDeleteHumans die daily. Lots and lots of them. Some percentage of them will be celebrities. When you start counting up the deaths of celebrities, you can make whatever numerical patterns out of them you want to.
ReplyDeleteThat's simple math: You just take your total, pick your "mystical" number and divide by it.
So if you want to believe that celebrities die in threes, then whenever a third celebrity bites it, you start your count over.
Mere sleight of wits, not a real phenomenon.
Well we did have
ReplyDeleteLilly Pulitzer
Margaret Thatcher
Annette Funicello
All within a day
and Roger Ebert, so I guess it's in fours.
ReplyDeletetotally agree with Jonathan Andrew--it's all in your head
I don't know. When I worked in the cath lab, when we had one patient arrest, we'd have 2 more within 48 hours. It always seemed like it came in 3s to us. But we could have just been superstitious. And I've also noticed the death in 3s before as well. Who knows?
ReplyDeleteLinking death to threes appears to go back to World War One when soldiers were in opposing trenches. Many soldiers were smokers and often asked for a light. The legend was that if you held a match long enough to light three cigarettes that provided both time and target for the enemy to draw aim and fire. A number of sayings make sense in this context: death comes in three (i.e. number of targets clustered around match), third time lucky (i.e. third guy to light cigarette without getting shot), etc.
ReplyDeleteWhen two celebs die, I always wait for the third. Thanks @Kendra for finishing the circle for me, I didn't even think about Lily, and I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop!
ReplyDeleteThat 30 Rock episode was hilarious.
It really really seems deaths do happen in threes, celebs or civilians. Lots of other things too. One of those unscientific things that make life fun.
ReplyDeleteI think we just start counting over after three, like death is a base three system.
ReplyDeleteThree is a magick number ..
ReplyDeleteBut I doubt it applies to " celebrities " - the universe cares not about that.
wish list
ReplyDeletechris brown
justin bieber
tom cruise
Bahahaha.
Delete@Suzzique. I don't think I can improve on that.
DeleteSeems to me celebs die in groups. It freaks me out more when multiple actors from shows or movies die like with poltergeist and Angel
ReplyDelete@PDXFoodie - Angel?
ReplyDeleteSometimes it seems like there is a connection running among the three -- Princess Diana died, followed shortly by Mother Teresa, for example. People turned it into a trio with Gianni Versace's death a month earlier; I think Diana had attended his funeral.
ReplyDeleteMy mom told me about this ages ago. I believe that John Wayne and Bing Crosby passed in close proximity to each other in the 70's, but I can't remembe the third, I was just a babe then. Oh hell, I'm still a babe, but I digress. I beleive our paper actually ran a front page with with a drawing of the three together.
ReplyDelete@izzie - Doyle and the green guy from angel. Both died young
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJohn Ritter, Johnny Cash and Warren Zevon died within a few days of one another. I loved all three and was crushed.
ReplyDeleteSo yah sometimes it occurs.
Ever since I first heard that theory (when Sonny Bono died), I've looked for that pattern, and I've never seen a set of three in a short time period. Two, four, a dozen, but never exactly three.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard people die in threes, not just celebs. I think when two die, you start looking for the third, and you notice it easier. Like never noticing a blue VW beetle til you buy one, then suddenly they're everywhere.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't buy that deaths come in threes, celeb or otherwise. I have a friend who always immediately predicts two more deaths and then one more, and she's wrong almost without fail, but you try to point that out to her gently and she just ignores you. Next death, it's the exact same thing all over again.
ReplyDeleteThey do! They do!
ReplyDeleteHefner ?
ReplyDelete