title: Artists' suicides as a public good.
abstract: This Commentary suggests that it is possible, from an economic perspective, that any individual artist/celebrity suicide may be of net benefit to society. Sales of the artist's products and associated merchandise may increase after the suicide, and people, including those who were not even born at the time of the suicide, may derive value from its iconic rectification, not to mention the higher value they derive from some private goods. A case study of Kurt Cobain is given to illustrate this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Centre for International Development, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Bijou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lester
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001154:Art; D003132:Commerce; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D012924:Social Conditions; D013405:Suicide / Q000191:economics*