We often see this in the movies (or not only), but science proves it to be real. The commemoration of the death of a beloved person can kill you suddenly, especially if you are a man.

Sudden death, in most cases triggered by arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), can happen unexpectedly and often in less than one hour following the onset of symptoms, as a new study presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting in Chicago reveals.

"We've all known close family members who have died within hours, weeks, months or years of each other. Physicians should be aware that mental stress, such as the anniversary effect, may induce sudden death in susceptible individuals," said lead researcher Dr Ivan Mendoza from Central University of Venezuela in Caracas.

His team analyzed data on 102 documented sudden deaths of individuals aged 37 to 79. About 70% appeared to have died of coronary artery disease. 12% of the cases happened at the commemoration date of the death of a parent: 7 on the father's commemoration and 5 on the mother's. In one case, it was the commemoration of both parents, who had died about the same date.

Only in about 30% of the cases, the sudden death occurred approximatively at the death age of the parents. About 80% of the sudden deaths were experienced by men.

"The reason for this is not understood, but may reflect gender differences in response to stressful situations," said co-researcher Dr Juan Marques, also from the Central University of Venezuela.

And they call it (the male gender) the tough sex...

"Patients may be especially vulnerable if they have a history of heart attack, family history of sudden death or coronary disease, and cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity or a sedentary lifestyle," said Mendoza.