Harper Lee. Alan Rickman. David Bowie. And now Prince. 2016 has been a rough year for noted celebrities. Roland Hughes and Laura Gray wrote about why there has been so much death:

• Television meant increasing fame for a larger group of people.
• TV really spread in the 60s – and those that were famous then are beginning to enter their 70s now and are dying off.
• Soon after World War 2 there was also a growth spurt in the population known as the baby boom. Baby boomers make up a large proportion of the population and thus of celebrities. As they enter their grey years they’re passing away.
• All of this helps explains why in the first three months of 2016 around twice as many celebrities died as in the first three months of 2015.
• It also means that we should expect the rest of this year – and the next ten or so years – to be heavy on celebrity deaths, as boomers continue to age.

Read more over here.

Source: BBC