RIP Famous People: 2016 Summary

Post Reply New Topic

We don't need MSM to remind us of what a tragic year it has been in regard to the loss of some really great famous people----but, I DID need to refresh my memory as to who-all, exactly, we had lost this year; so, I thought others might like to see the list I'd compiled: (Notes: This list is not exhaustive, by-any-means. Listed in order by date-of-death, includes other than the U.S., and ALL occupations. Please feel free to post any additions. I intentionally left-off Fidel Castro, as this is meant to be a list of people, most of us ADMIRE.)

Pat Harrington, Jr., 86, the actor and comedian who in the 1950s got attention as a member of Steve Allen's fabled TV comic troupe and decades later as Dwayne Schneider, the cocky handyman on the long-running sitcom "One Day at a Time," died on Jan. 6.

David Bowie, 69, the other-worldly musician who broke pop and rock boundaries with his creative musicianship that spanned six decades, striking visuals and a genre-spanning persona he christened Ziggy Stardust, died on Jan. 10.

Alan Rickman, 69, the classically-trained British stage star and sensual screen villain in the "Harry Potter" saga, "Die Hard" and other films, died on Jan. 14.

Dan Haggerty, 74, the rugged, bearded actor who starred in the film and TV series "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," died on Jan. 15.

Glenn Frey, 67, the rock 'n' roll rebel who co-founded the Eagles and helped write such hits as "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," died on Jan. 18.

Abe Vigoda, 94, the character actor whose leathery, sad-eyed face made him ideal for playing the over-the-hill detective Phil Fish in the 1970s TV series "Barney Miller" and the doomed Mafia soldier in "The Godfather," died on Jan. 26.

Paul Kantner, 74, the founding member of Jefferson Airplane who stayed with the seminal band through its transformation from 1960s hippies to 1970s hit makers as the eventual leader of successor group Jefferson Starship, died on Jan. 28.

Joe Alaskey, 63, a prolific voice actor best known for portraying Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and other beloved "Looney Tunes" characters, died on Feb. 3.

Maurice White, 74, the "Earth, Wind & Fire" founder whose horn-driven band sold more than 90 million albums, died on Feb. 3.

Edgar Mitchell, 85, the Apollo 14 astronaut who became the sixth man on the moon when he and Alan Shepard helped NASA recover from Apollo 13's "successful failure," died on Feb. 4.

Antonin Scalia, 79, an influential conservative and most provocative member of the U.S. Supreme Court, died on Feb. 13.

Vanity (Denise Katrina Matthews) 57, better known as Prince protege Vanity who sang in girl band Vanity 6 and appeared in the films "The Last Dragon" and "Action Jackson", died on Feb. 15.

George Gaynes, 89, who portrayed an irritable foster parent on the '80s sitcom "Punky Brewster," the bewildered commandant in seven "Police Academy" films and a soap opera star with a crush on Dustin Hoffman's character in drag, in the hit feature comedy "Tootsie," died on Feb. 15.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 93, the veteran Egyptian diplomat who helped negotiate his country's landmark peace deal with Israel but clashed with the U.S. when he served a single term as U.N. secretary-general, died on Feb. 16.

Harper Lee, 89, the elusive novelist whose child's-eye view of racial injustice in a small Southern town, "To Kill a Mockingbird", became standard reading for millions of young people and an Oscar-winning film, died on Feb. 19.

Sonny James, 87, the country singer who recorded romantic ballads like "Young Love" and turned pop songs into country hits, died on Feb. 22.

Tony Burton, 78, who played Apollo Creed's inspirational boxing trainer in the "Rocky" franchise after his own glory days as a young prizefighter, died on Feb. 25.

George Kennedy, 91, the hulking, tough-guy actor who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a savage chain-gang convict in the 1960s classic "Cool Hand Luke", died on Feb. 28.

Joey Feek, 40, who with her husband, Rory, formed the award-winning country duo Joey & Rory, died on March 4.

Pat Conroy, 70, the author of "The Great Santini", ''The Prince of Tides" and other best-sellers, whose novels drew upon his bruising childhood and the vistas of South Carolina, died on March 4.

Nancy Reagan, 94, an actress who became one of the most high-profile and influential first ladies of the 20th century as the wife of President Ronald Reagan, died on March 6.

Frank Sinatra, Jr., 72, who carried on his father's legacy with his own music career and whose kidnapping as a young man added a bizarre chapter to his father's legendary life, died on March 16.

Bob Ebeling, 89, the booster rocket engineer who spent decades filled with guilt over not stopping the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, died on March 21.

Rob Ford, 46, the pugnacious, populist former mayor of Toronto whose career crashed in a drug-driven, obscenity-laced debacle, died on March 22.

Joe Garagiola, 90, the former former TODAY anchor and baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs and New York Giants, died on March 23.

Garry Shandling, 66, the actor and comedian who masterminded a brand of phony docudrama with "The Larry Sanders Show," died on March 24.

Jim Harrison, 78, the fiction writer, poet, outdoorsman and reveler who enjoyed mainstream success in middle age with his historical saga "Legends of the Fall," died on March 26.

Patty Duke, 69, who won an Oscar as a teen for playing Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker", then maintained a long career while battling personal demons, died on March 29.

Erik Bauersfeld, 93, who turned three words from a minor acting role — "It's a trap!" — into one of the most beloved lines of the "Star Wars" series, died on April 3.

Merle Haggard, 79, the country giant who rose from poverty and prison to international fame through his songs about outlaws, underdogs and an abiding sense of national pride in such hits as "Okie From Muskogee" and "Sing Me Back Home", died on April 6.

Doris Roberts, 90, who played the tart-tongued, endlessly meddling mother on "Everybody Loves Raymond", died on April 17.

Chyna, 46, the tall, muscle-bound, raven-haired pro-wrestler who rocketed to popularity in the 1990s and later made the rounds on reality TV, died on April 20.

Prince, 57, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of modern times with hits including "Little Red Corvette", ''Let's Go Crazy" and "When Doves Cry", died on April 21.

Billy Paul, 80, the jazz and soul singer best known for the hit ballad and "Philadelphia Soul" classic "Me and Mrs. Jones", died on April 24.

Morley Safer, 84, the veteran "60 Minutes" correspondent who exposed a military atrocity in Vietnam that played an early role in changing Americans' view of the war, died on May 19.

Alan Young, 96, the actor-comedian who played the amiable straight man to a talking horse in the 1960s sitcom "Mister Ed", died on May 19.

Nick Menza, 51, former drummer for the influential metal band "Megadeth", died on May 21.

Muhammad Ali, 74, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself "The Greatest" and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, died on June 3.

Theresa Saldana, 61, the "Raging Bull" actress who survived a stalker's brutal attack to become a crime victims' advocate and reclaimed her entertainment career with "The Commish" and other TV shows, died on June 6.

Anton Yelchin, 27, charismatic and rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new "Star Trek" films, died on June 19.

Scotty Moore, 84, a pioneering rock guitarist best known for backing Elvis Presley as a member of his original band and into superstardom, died on June 28.

Pat Summitt, 64, the winningest coach in Division I college basketball history who uplifted the women's game from obscurity to national prominence during her 38-year career at Tennessee, died on June 28.

Michael Cimino, 77, the Oscar-winning director whose film "The Deer Hunter" became one of the great triumphs of Hollywood's 1970s heyday and whose disastrous "Heaven's Gate" helped bring that era to a close, died on July 2.

Noel Neill, 95, the first actress to play Lois Lane — the intrepid journalist with a soft spot for Superman — in the 1948 movie serial "Superman", alongside Kirk Alyn, died on July 3.

Garry Marshall, 81, the legendary writer and director who created the wildly popular television programs "Happy Days", "The Odd Couple", "Laverne & Shirley" and "Mork & Mindy", died on July 19.

David Huddleston, 85, a character actor best known for portraying titular roles in "The Big Lebowski" and "Santa Claus: The Movie," died on Aug. 2.

Barry Jenner, 75, the veteran character actor who rocketed into space as an admiral on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and made dozens of other TV appearances during a 40-plus year career, died on Aug. 8.

Kenny Baker, 81, who played the lovable droid R2-D2 in the "Star Wars" films, achieving cult status and fans' adulation without showing his face or speaking any lines, died on Aug. 13.

Fyvush Finkel, 93, the Emmy Award-winning actor whose career in stage and screen started in Yiddish theater and led to memorable roles in "Fiddler on the Roof" on Broadway and on TV in "Boston Public" and "Picket Fences," died on Aug. 14.

John McLaughlin, 89, the conservative commentator and host of a long-running television show ("John McLaughlin's One on One") that pioneered hollering-heads discussions of Washington politics, died on Aug. 16.

Matt Roberts, a guitarist and founding member of the rock band 3 Doors Down, died on Aug. 20.

Steven Hill, 94, a versatile character actor in theater, films and television who achieved his greatest success late in life as grumpy District Attorney Adam Schiff on TV's long-running "Law & Order", died on Aug. 23.

Gene Wilder, 83, the frizzy-haired actor who brought his deft comedic touch to such unforgettable roles as the neurotic accountant in "The Producers", the mad scientist of "Young Frankenstein", and the title character in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," died on Aug. 28.

Jon Polito, 65, the raspy-voiced actor whose 200-plus credits ranged from "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Modern Family" to the films "Barton Fink" and "The Big Lebowski", died on Sept. 1.

Greta Zimmer Friedman, 92, the woman in an iconic photo shown kissing an ecstatic sailor celebrating the end of World War II by smooching a nurse in Times Square, died on Sept. 8.



Alexis Arquette, 47, the pioneering transgender actress and member of the prominent Hollywood family, died on Sept. 11.

Edward Albee, 88, the three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who challenged theatrical convention in masterworks such as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "A Delicate Balance", died on Sept. 16.

W.P. Kinsella, 81, the Canadian novelist who blended magical realism and baseball in the book that became the smash hit film "Field of Dreams", died on Sept. 16.

Curtis Hanson, 71, who won a screenwriting Oscar for "L.A. Confidential" and directed the psychological thriller "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and Eminem's tale of Detroit hip-hop "8 Mile", died on Sept. 20.

Bill Nunn, 62, a veteran character actor who broke through in movies in the late 1980s, first in Spike Lee's "School Daze", then as the ill-fated Radio Raheem in the Oscar-nominated "Do the Right Thing", as well as appearing in the "Spider-Man" movie franchise, died on Sept. 24.

José Fernández, 24, the Miami Marlins pitcher who won the National League's Rookie of the Year award in 2013, died on Sept. 25.

Arnold Palmer, 87, the golfing great who brought a country-club sport to the masses with a hard-charging style, charisma and a commoner's touch, died on Sept. 25.

Shimon Peres, 93, the former Israeli president and prime minister, whose life story mirrored that of the Jewish state and who was celebrated around the world as a Nobel prize-winning visionary who pushed his country toward peace, died on Sept. 28.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88, the world's longest reigning monarch who was revered in Thailand as an anchor of stability through decades of upheaval at home and abroad, died on Oct. 13.

Steve Dillon, 54, a celebrated comic book artist best known for co-creating the "Preacher" and illustrating the popular Marvel title "The Punisher", died on Oct. 22.

Janet Reno, 78, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney general and the epicenter of several political storms during the Clinton administration, including the seizure of Elian Gonzalez, died on Nov. 7.

Leonard Cohen, 82, the baritone-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter who blended spirituality and sexuality in songs like "Hallelujah", ''Suzanne" and "Bird on a Wire", died on Nov. 7.

Robert Vaughn, 83, the debonair, Oscar-nominated actor whose many film roles were eclipsed by his hugely popular turn in television's "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.", died on Nov. 11.

Leon Russell, 74, a singer-songwriter who emerged in the '70s as one of rock'n'roll's most dynamic performers after playing anonymously on dozens of pop hits as an in-demand studio pianist and was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 2011, died on Nov. 13.

Gwen Ifill, 61, the co-anchor of PBS' "NewsHour" with Judy Woodruff and a veteran journalist who moderated two vice presidential debates, died on Nov. 14.



Holly Dunn, 59, a country singer who rose to fame with hits like "Daddy's Hands" and "You Really Had Me Going", died on Nov. 14.

Florence Henderson, 82, the Broadway star who became one of America's most beloved television moms in "The Brady Bunch", died on Nov. 24.

Ron Glass, 71, the veteran television and film actor known for his Emmy-nominated role as NYPD Det. Ron Harris on the classic cop sitcom "Barney Miller", and later the deeply religious preacher Derrial Brook on the cult sci-fi show "Firefly", died on Nov. 25.

Grant Tinker, 90, the television broadcasting legend and former NBC chairman who brought new polish to the TV world with beloved shows including "Hill Street Blues", died on Nov. 28.

Joseph Mascolo, 87, the actor who portrayed iconic "Days of Our Lives" villain Stefano DiMera, died on Dec. 7.

John Glenn, 95, the all-American hero who was the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth before being propelled into a long career in the U.S. Senate, died on Dec. 8.

E.R. Braithwaite, 104, a Guyanese author, educator and diplomat whose years teaching in the slums of London's East End inspired the international best-seller "To Sir, With Love" and the movie of the same name, died on Dec. 12.

Alan Thicke, 69, the versatile performer who gained his greatest fame as the beloved dad on the sitcom "Growing Pains", died on Dec. 13.

Craig Sager, 65, the longtime TNT sports broadcaster with a passion for colorful attire, died on Dec. 15.

Henry Heimlich, 96, American physician, inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, complications from a heart attack, died on Dec. 17.

Gordon Hunt, 87, directed such animated productions as "The Jetsons", "Scooby-Doo", "The Smurfs", "Pound Puppies", "Tom and Jerry Kids", "The New Adventures of Captain Planet" and many more, died Dec. 17.

Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99, the Hungarian beauty queen-turned-nine-times-married Hollywood icon who once served three days in jail for slapping a cop, died on Dec. 18.

George Michael, 53, the pop heartthrob whose career began with the hit duo "Wham!" in the 1980s and went on to have a hit solo career beginning with the chart-topping album "Faith", died on Dec. 25.

Barbara Tarbuck, 74, American actress ("General Hospital", "Short Circuit", "American Horror Story"), died on Dec. 27.

British author Richard Adams, whose 1972 book "Watership Down" became a classic of children's literature died on Dec. 27.

Carrie Fisher, 60, best known for her portrayal of the tough-talking Princess Leia who defies the Evil Empire in "Star Wars", died on Dec. 27.

Debbie Reynolds, 84, the actress and singer who rose to fame opposite Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain", died on Dec. 28, one day after the death of her daughter, Carrie Fisher.

Here's to hoping we can get through the less-than-11-hours, without any more losses.

Additional notes on losses (not all are included in the list, above):

TWO "Mad" magazine cartoonists died this year.

TWO actors from "The Big Lebowski", died this year.

TWO "Star Trek" actors, died this year.

THREE "Star Wars" actors died this year----that's messed-up!!

THREE people associated with the Buffalo Bills.

FOUR "Everybody Loves Raymond" stars, are dead (but, not all this year): Raymond's father (Peter Boyle), Raymond's mother (Doris Roberts), Debra's father (Robert Culp), and one of the twins shot himself, dead (Sawyer Sweeten).

FIVE people associated with football (American and other types of football) died on the SAME DAY, December 29th, including Keion Carpenter, from Baltimore (played for the Bills).

I thought it was wild that Vanity and Prince were the same age, and died the same year.

Months' totals:

January - 8
February - 14
March - 15
April - 11
May - 8
June - 14
July - 8
August - 13
September - 14
October - 3
November - 11
December - 15

Year's total: 134 (again, NOT exhaustive)

(Note on poll: If you accidentally checked the wrong box in the poll, you can RE-cast your vote.)

Edits: To correct punctuation.

All a great loss,for me it was Leonard Cohen.

You did not mention Leonard Cohen.

You cant really pick one.

Despite that I actually did pick one: Gene Wilder, because we all could use some extra laughs to start the new year.

Quite a few familiar names on that list.

A whole generation of pop musicians took a major hit this year! Classic rock musicians are now on the endangered species list.

That's quite an amazing compilation you put together!

I picked David Bowie. I think that has to do with him releasing Blackstar causing such a huge resurgence in his popularity just a couple of days before he passed away. I remember there being a lot of talk when it came out, with a "what's up with this?" wondering. And then afterwords, "oh now we get it". The lyrics, the symbolism in the videos. Definitely him going out on a high note.

Add William Christoper, the actor who played Father Mulcahy on M*A*S*H, to the list. Just read about it a few minutes ago.

For me, it was Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher, because they were mother and daughter and died within a day of each other, and it was believed that Debbie Reynolds died of a broken heart.

Fun facts: Shimon Peres and Lauren Bacall were cousins. Dr. Henry Heimlich was the uncle of Anson Williams (Potsie from Happy Days)