Do Celebrities Die in Threes? Experts Explain the Phenomenon

Do celebrities really die in three?

Actor Malcom-Jamal Warner, singer Ozzy Osbourne and professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died in late July, prompting Google search around the “rule of three” to spike.

The term refers to the persistent notion that celebrity deaths come in threes. The “30 Rock” episode “Stone Mountain” riffs on the idea by making Tracy Jordan fear for his life after he learns two other celebrities have died.

Is there any credence to the “rule of three”? Experts tune in with their thoughts about math, pop culture and our impulse to find patterns in the chaos.

What is the Celebrity ‘Rule of 3’?

The celebrity “rule of three” refers to a theory that celebrities die in threes at times close to each other.

The celebrity death “rule of three” has applied to multiple instances. Here are a few.

1. The deaths of singers Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens in a 1959 plane crash.
2. The June 2009 deaths of Ed McMahon (June 23), Farrah Fawcett (June 25) and Michael Jackson (June 25)
3. The December 2016 deaths of George Michael (Dec. 25) and mother-daughter pair Carrie Fisher (Dec. 26) and Debbie Reynolds (Dec. 28)
4. The July 2020 deaths of Naya Rivera (July 8), Kelly Preston (July 12) and Regis Philbin (July 24)

Is There Science Behind the ‘Rule of 3’?

Experts confirm that there is no scientific evidence to support the “rule of three,” though they have thoughts on why this phenomenon exists in the first place.

Psychiatrist Bernard Beitman, author of “Meaningful Coincidences: How and Why Synchronicity and Serendipity Happen,” tells TODAY.com that the theory may continue due to the psychological bias of apophenia, or seeing patterns as a way to make sense of randomness.

“The idea that this happens with three well-known people makes it look like this isn’t just random. Maybe there’s something to it. Maybe there’s some force or cause or engine,” Beitman says.

“Human beings are always looking for explanations,” he adds.

Psychiatrist Dr. Lauro Amezcua-Patino says grief over celebrities’ deaths is a real phenomenon.

“Even though we don’t know them, they’re part of the tribe. They have a meaning for us. So when we lose somebody who’s a member of the tribe, we’re going to grieve just like we grieve somebody close,” he says.

“You have to think of celebrities not as something magical that we admire, but it’s a member of the tribe that we belong to.”

What Is it About Number 3, Anyway?

Professor and “Book of Threes” author Michael Eck tells TODAY.com that threes, compared to pairs, is the sweet spot for continuity.

Many groupings typically come in sets of three. Gold, silver and bronze medals. The Three Musketeers. Primary colors. The game of rock, paper, scissors. Snap, crackle and pop. Religious imagery of the father, the son and the holy spirit. The three states of matter: Solid, liquid and gas. The list goes on (and on).

Eck, who studies how the brain creates memory, says three holds significance for pattern-making. For example, with a string of digits, a person would assume understand that the digits one, two and three would keep going ad infinitum. The pattern of only one and two would be less clear.

“Three is the place where the pattern reveals itself. You can understand the pattern, but it’s not it’s not excessive,” he says. “Three is a perfect upper limit to absorb things.”

When applied to celebrity deaths, Eck says, we reach for three to create a sense of “completion” of a cycle.

“We want to kind of ritualize their life with us,” he says. “We want to think about these great people in our lifetime, remember them in positive ways.”