This is another truly heartbreaking one. World famous DJ Avicii was only 28 when he took his own life. Many wondered how someone who was considered to be at the peak of his profession could choose to leave us so soon, but in reality Avicii's story is a cautionary one about the excesses of fame.
Avicii, whose real name was Tim Bergling, had already been retired from performing for two years at the time he died. Having encountered fame at a young age, he found himself partying to excess when he was on tour, and the levels at which he drank had caused him chronic health problems. Bergling suffered with acute pancreatitis, and had his appendix and gallbladder removed due to health conditions associated with drinking. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he chose to leave us in April. We'll remember the hits, but his is a tragic tale about the dangers of too much, too soon.
To insure one’s house, one’s car or to underwrite a life insurance policy, that is common practice. But who would pay an insurance premium for his/her thumb, legs or smile? Stars, of course.
At the top of the ranking are the legs of Mariah Carey, worth 810 million USD: The diva became, in 2006, the Gillette brand muse for the advertising campaign «Legs of a Goddess». She then took out an insurance policy with London Lloyds to protect her legs, a decision that is far from being insignificant. Among its customers, the London insurer then included several icons of music, such as Bob Dylan or Rod Stewart.
David Beckham’s body insured for 195 million USD: European champion with Manchester United in 1999, David Beckham was in 2006 the most renowned footballer of the planet. In relation to his sporting activities, he took out an insurance cover for his legs. The huge amount paid for his insurance would reportedly exceed the 103 million USD disbursed by Real Madrid for the cover of Christiano Ronaldo in 2009. The fashion model would later extend his insurance cover to his entire body.
15 million USD in insurance for Kim Kardashian’s curves: The curves of Kim Kardashian are her number one beauty asset. The reality TV star, who is crazy about plastic surgery, has underwritten an insurance policy worth 15 million USD to protect her famous butt.
The culinary critic Egon Ronay assured his taste buds: The famous Hungarian culinary critic has insured his taste buds since 1957, for the amount of 400 000 USD. An original insurance policy which allows him to cover his sense of taste without which he will no longer be able to practice his job.