Many Virginians believe in The Rule of Three
For many generations, Virginians have expressed their belief that death comes in threes. Ciera J., Angelo R., Bob A., and Beth E. from SWVA all said they have seen family and friends pass away in waves of three for most of their lives.
Dr. John Hoopes, an anthropology professor at the University of Kansas, says people in the US die every 11 seconds, and there is no set pattern of people passing away in threes but others disagree.
Celebrity deaths appear to validate The Rule of Three
Whenever big-name celebrities die, you can count on social media posts saying two more will follow. At times, this happens as it did recently when three beloved celebrities died within days of one another. James Earl Jones passed on September 9, Frankie Beverly on the 10, and Tito Jackson on the 15.
In 2009, Ed McMahon died on June 24, and Farah Fawcett and Michael Jackson passed the following day. CBS addressed The Rule of Three after Jimmy Buffet, Steve Harwell, and Gary Wright,, died within ten days of each other in 2023.