The month of July 2025 started off on a heartbreaking note after multiple celebrities died. From actors to musicians, fans were shocked to learn that several notable deaths happened just hours or days apart from each other, ultimately recirculating the viral “celebrities die in 3s” conspiracy theory. The viral belief alleges that once a celebrity dies, two more will follow suit. So, is there any truth to it?
Hollywood Life is breaking down the conspiracy theory below.
How Did the ‘Celebrities Die in 3s’ Theory Start?
It’s widely believed that the “celebrities die in 3s” theory began decades ago in 1959 on “The Day the Music Died” when rock ‘n’ roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper were killed in a plane crash. Don McLean coined the term for the tragic day in his famous single “American Pie.” Lyrics that point to the fatal crash include, “But February made me shiver / With every paper I’d deliver / Bad news on the doorstep / I couldn’t take one more step / I can’t remember if I cried / When I read about his widowed bride / But something touched me deep inside / The day the music died.”
The “widowed bride” lyric referred to Buddy’s wife, María Elena Holly, who had just married the musician six months prior. She found out about her husband’s death from a TV report and subsequently suffered from a miscarriage.
Pilot Roger Peterson lost control of the small Beechcraft Bonanza plane shortly after taking off at night on February 3, 1959, in the middle of the winter. All four people onboard died after the aircraft crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa.
Do Celebrities Really Die in 3s?
Sometimes, it certainly looks like groups of celebrities die around the same time. The news of a fan-favorite icon’s death occasionally breaks right on the heels of another’s — and when that happens, it’s both heartbreaking and eerie.
Though it’s only a conspiracy theory, the public is convinced that there’s some truth to it.
Quite a few celebrity deaths have happened just hours, days or weeks apart from one another. In 2018, Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade and Jackson Odell passed away that June.
How Many Celebrities Died in July 2025?
In July 2025 alone, about 11 major celebrities have died by the time of publication. The month began with the tragic news of Julian McMahon‘s death, followed by Michael Madsen, Connie Francis, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan and Chuck Mangione. Osbourne, Hogan and Mangione died within the same week in July 2025, with musicians Osbourne and Mangione dying the same day.
Other notable figures who passed away in July 2025 were Boston sports legend Lyndon “LB” Byers, poet and activist Andrea Gibson, Annabelle paranormal investigator Dan Rivera and musical satirist Tom Lehrer.
