So many people dying, dying, dying.
Is 2016 a cursed year? That's how it feels.
BBC radio program 'More Or Less' went looking for the truth, this is what they found.
The death rate this year is no higher than in previous years. There has though been a dramatic increase in the number of published obituaries. Does this mean that famous names are more likely to die?. No, the explanation is that of those dying this year, more are likely to be well known enough to merit an obit in the media.
And the reason for that lies in the growth of the mass media through the sixties and seventies creating a bulge in the numbers of names known to the public. These individuals are now much older and begining to die off, which is unavoidable in an ageing population.
So no conspiracy, no hexes, nothing sinister, you can stop worrying.