Dead musicians' '27 Club' just a myth - study

Kurt Cobain may have died at 27 but other musicians aren't at more risk because of their age. Photo / Supplied

Despite the death of Amy Winehouse earlier this year there is nothing particularly dangerous about being a 27-year-old musician.

A joint Australian-German study has found that even though Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Brian Jones all died at the age of 27, the existence of a '27 club' is just a myth.

The researchers compared the deaths of famous musicians between 1956 and 2007 with those of the population of the United Kingdom.

They found the age of 27 had no significance whatsoever.

However, musicians in their twenties and thirties were up to three times more likely to die prematurely than the overall UK population.

"This finding should be of international concern, as musicians contribute greatly to populations' quality of life, so there is immense value in keeping them alive (and working) as long as possible,'' the researchers said in a statement.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology and the University of Freiberg.

- AAP