Our Man Elli thinks in threes

Our Man Elli in Israel, our correspondent in Jerusalem and too-occasional contributor, drops us this thought about our They Die In Threes obsession:

This struck me - we say 'they die in threes' if it happens in close proximity to each other; but can we also say it if they die in close proximity to the same date? Here's three within 8 dates of each other in May:

Marlene Dietrich, Symbol of Glamour, Dies at 90 (May 6, 1992)

Joan Crawford, Screen Star, Dies at 69 (May 10, 1977)

Rita Hayworth, Movie Legend, Dies at 68 (May 14, 1987)

Which leads to the questions: What is it with Our Man Elli and old movie queens? And what are they smoking in Israel?