Remembering those we lost in 2016

As the world tries to end 2016 on a positive note, despite the sorrow that many faced this past holiday season. We must sadly acknowledge that these celebrities, that did so much and meant so much to many. Are not the only once we had to bid farewell too, this year. As we embark on 2017 let us look back at the celebrities we lost. January 10th: David Bowie 2016 did not start off on a good note for fans David Bowie. This revolutionary and influential Pop Icon who was believed by musicians and music lovers across the world. Had passed away from liver cancer in his home, just two days after his 69th birthday. Music historians credit Bowie with not just pioneering but creating the genre â€œGlam Rock.â€ Bowie set the bar that artist must meet, even to this day. From album covers, to performance and even music videos. He was an artist that lived and breathed art, and that is something that will never be forgotten. January 14th: Alan Rickman While the world may know Alan Rickman as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Severus Snape. A few may know this renowned English actor from his various other roles. As Colonel Brandon in the film adaptation of Jane Austenâ€™s Sense and Sensibility, Dr. Lazarus in Galaxy Quest, Ronald Regan in Lee Danielsâ€™ The Butler, and as the voice of Absolem the Caterpillar in Tim Burtonâ€™s Alice in Wonderland films. Rickman passed away from terminal cancer, at his home in London. Later at the London film criticsâ€™ awards, fellow English actors such as Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson gave tributes to their beloved college and a memorial was set up by fan at Londonâ€™s Kingâ€™s Cross railway station under the sign 93/4.Â January 18th Glenn Frey Glenn Frey was lead singer of popular rock band The Eagles. Who have won 6 Grammyâ€™s, 5 American Music Awards, and had 6 albums at number one on release. Beginning their career here in Los Angeles, California. They are one of the best-selling bands off all time, due to their great hits like Hotel California, which was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released. He had been suffering since 2000 with rheumatoid arthritis which affected the joints in his body and on January 18th, Frey died at Columbia University Medical Center, while recovering from gastrointestinal tract surgery.Â January 26th: Abe Vigoda Known to many as Salvatore Tessio, from The Godfather. Abe Vigoda passed away in his sleep from natural causes, at the age of 94 at his daughter home in New Jersey. Vigoda began his acting career as a teenager in the American Theater Wing and gained notoriety, through his work on Broadway, in productions like The Man in the Glass Booth.Â February 3rd: Maurice White Indicted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 2000. White was part of popular American band, Earth Wind and Fire. They were known for covering a variety of musical genres such as; R&B, soul, disco, pop, Latin and African. The band had won 6 Grammyâ€™s, due to hits like â€œBoogie Nightsâ€ and â€œ Letâ€™s Groove.â€ In 1985, White embarked on a solo career in with the release of his self-titled album Maurice White, that featured a cover of Ben E Kings â€œStand by Me.â€ White passed at the age of 74 in his Los Angeles home, from the effects of Parkinsonâ€™s dieses.Â February 19th: Harper Lee American novelist, who wrote the Pulitzer prize winning novel â€œTo Kill a Mockingbird,â€ one of the most read books in the Country (partly due, to it being include in high school curriculum). Passed away in her sleep at the age of 89, at her home in Alabama. February 28th: George Kennedy Known for his Golden Globe nominating role as Joe Patroni in Airplane and as corrupt oil tycoon Carter Mckay in the popular TV series Dallas. Kennedy died on the morning of February 28th at the age of 91, in Middleton Idaho at an assisted living home. Up until his death, he was the oldest living Oscar winner to date. March 6th: Nancy Reagan Actress and wife, to our 40th president, died at the age of 94 from congestive heart failure. Nancy Raegan was an inspiration to modern woman across the country. She was a supporter for recreational drug prevention causes (coined the term â€œjust say noâ€) and embryotic stem cell research. She was honored by prominent politicians and laid to rest next to her husband. March 16th: Frank Sinatra Jr. Son of singer and actor Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato. Jr, began his musical career at the age of 19 performing in clubs and venues, and becoming a vocalist for Sam Donahueâ€™s band. Although his musical career did not match his fathers. He kept busy performing songs and doing minor roles in TV series. While on tour in Dayton Beach, Florida, he suffered cardiac arrest and passed away at the age of 72. March 25th: Garry Shandling Gary Shandling was a stand up comedic actor, who gained fame from his work on the Showtime sitcom; Itâ€™s Garry Shandlingâ€™s Show. He hosted the Emmy awards three times and the Grammyâ€™s four times. Throughout his career he has had a total of 19 Emmy prime-time nominations and two Golden Globes. Fans may remember Shandling from his most recent role as Hydra-loyalist, Senator Stern from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. Shandling passed away at the age of 66, in his Los Angeles home. From Pulmonary Thrombosis, which was recently discovered from released autopsy reports.Â March 29th: Patty Duke American Actress Patty Duke, passed away at the age of 69, from sepsis caused by a ruptured intestine. Known for being back then, as the youngest actress to win an Academy Award. Duke won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, for her role as Hellen Keller in The Miracle Worker. She then went on to work on other films, such as Valley of the Dolls. She served as president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1985 to 1988 and had won two Golden Globes and three out of the ten Emmy Awards nominations. She spent much of her time on advocating and educating the public on mental health issues and had a mental health initiative foundation created in her name by her son, after her death.Â April 6th: Merle Hagger Country legend, Merle Hagger was not just a beloved country singer, but also a well honored and awarded one too. He has earned a Kennedy Center Award, a Grammy lifetime achievement award and a BMI Icon Award. He was also indicted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, as well the Country Music and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Hagger, passed away from pneumonia complications at the age of 79 in his home at Palo Cedro, California. Â April 17th: Doris Roberts Five time Emmy winner and Everybody Loves Raymond actress, suffered a stroke while sleeping at her home and passed away at the age of 90. She had both a film and television career that expanded decades, with fans being able to remember her, from numerous roles that she played. Such as Gordos Grandmother, from beloved 90â€™s Disney series, Lizzie McGuire. April 20th: Joanie â€œChynaâ€ Laurer Joanie â€œChynaâ€ Laurer, was a professional wrestler, bodybuilder, glamour model and adult film star. Pro Wrestling illustrated ranked her #106 of the top 500 single wrestler of the year in 2000 and won the WWF Intercontinental Championship, twice. Her body was discovered at her home in Redondo Beach, California. When her manager became concerned, after noticing her absence from social media after several days. An autopsy report released earlier in December. Showed that Laurer had died from an overdose of alcohol, combined with anxiety medication, painkillers and sleeping medications. She 46 years old. April 21st: Prince As one of Americas most beloved and well known musicians. Prince captivated music lovers with his musical stylings; inspired by artists such as David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Jimmy Hendrix, James Brown and many more. As well as with his flamboyant stage presence, that made for entertaining concerts. His had much success with his musical career. His second album self-titled â€œPrinceâ€ went platinum, just one year after his debut album was released. His following three albums had continued success. He also received critical acclaims for Purple Rain. A musical drama film, that inspired his sixth studio album of the same name. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004; Prince has won seven Grammy awards an American Music Award and a Golden Globe and Oscar for the film Purple Rain. Prince died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl, at the age of 57. May 21st: Nick Menza Former drummer for American thrash metal band Megadeth. Menza passed away from heart failure while performing with his band OHM in Los Angeles, at the age of 51. Chris Poland, former guitarist for Megadeth joined Menza as part of instrumental rock/jazz fusion group OHM. Megadeth was founded in Los Angeles and is credited with being pioneering the thrash metal genre, alongside other popular groups like Metallica.Â June 3rd: Muhammad Ali Boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, was one of the most significant, well known and celebrated sport figures of the 20th century. Aside from being a professional wrestler, he was also an activist. He is the only three-time heavy weight champion, having won the titles in 1964, 1974, and 1978. Aside from is awards and recognition in the boxing ring. Ali also was recognized in the music industry. Having had released two spoken word albums and a rhythm and blues song, which gave him two Grammy nominations. Once retiring from boxing, Ali dedicated his life to religious and charitable work. The day before his death, Ali had been admitted into the hospital for respiratory illness. His conditioned worsened and Ali passed away from septic shock, the following day, at the age of 74. Ali was mourned by numerous people around the world, with many recognizable figures attending his service and memorials. June 10th: Gordie Howe Considered one of the complete plyer to ever play the sport of ice hockey and one of the best the sport had ever seen. Howe, nicknamed â€œMr. Hockeyâ€ passed away at his sons â€˜home, in Ohio at the age of 88; no official cause was ever given. June 19th: Anton Yelchin One of Hollywoodâ€™s rising stars, known best for his role as Pavel Chekovm in the Star Trek series. Anton Yelchin, tragically died in a â€œfreak accidentâ€ after the breaks on his Jeep Grand Cherokee failed and pinned Yelchin to a brick wall, outside his home in Studio City. Following the news of his death many of his Star Trek costars and fellow actors, took to social media to express their sadness over the loss of their friend. Star Trek: Beyond which was released a month after the accident, was dedicated to Yelchin. Singer Rhianna, wrote a song for the film, that stars of the film said helped them cope with the lost and would have made Yelchin proud.July 19th: Garry Marshall If growing up, you were a fan of the romantic and teen comedies; chances are Garry Marshall was responsible for bringing the to the big screen. Marshall was an actor, comedian, writer, producer and director; who created beloved 1950â€™s show â€œHappy Daysâ€ and its various spin-offs. He then went on to direct many famous films, such as; Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride, Princess Diaries, Princess Diaries 2, Valentineâ€™s Day, New Yearâ€™s Eve, and many others. He also lent his voice to the character Cluck in the Chicken Little video games. Marshall passed away, from pneumonia complications after having suffering a stroke. At the age of 81 in a hospital in Burbank, California. August 13th: Kenny Baker While Star Wars offers fans many characters to root for. One that is universally beloved by all, was R2-D2. Baker, was personally selected to operate the robot character throughout the films and reprised his role in the latest Star Wars: The Force Awakens film. He served as a consultant for the character in Star Wars: VIII. He passed away a eleven days before his 82nd birthday.Â August 29th: Gene Wilder Gene Wilder, most famously known as Mr. Willy Wonka. Brought to the minds of children everywhere, a world of pure imagination. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, remains a timeless film, that children and adults from all generations continue to love, to this day. Wilder had a film career that lasted decades and even had some roles in TV; such as in Will and Grace, where he played Mr. Stein and won the Prime-Time Emmy award for outstanding guest actor. He had been nominated for two, Academy Awards and two Golden Globes. Wilder kept his diagnosis Alzheimer dieses private for three years. His nephew, American director and screenwriter Jordon Walker-Pearlman, said it was so to not sadden his younger fans. Wilder passed away at the age of 83, in his home in Connecticut.Â September 16th: Edward Albee American playwright, known best for the play â€œWhoâ€™s afraid of Virginia Wolffâ€, that was later adapted into a critically acclaimed motion picture. Edward Albee is created by many of todayâ€™s playwrights, for having reinvented post-war theater, through his dialogue and daring theatricality. His plays capitated audiences, by its incorporation of what was modern America, during the time. Albee passed away at the age of 88 at his home in New York. September 25th: Arnold Palmer Regarded as one of the greatest players in the sport of professional golf. Arnold Palmer, was nicknamed â€œThe King,â€ having won numerous events in both the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Championship. He was one golfâ€™s most notable trailblazers; for his humble background and plain spoken ways helped change the perception of golf. His social impact was unmatched by other golfers. Throughout his career he has won 62 PGA Tour titles, seven majors, and was the recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998. Palmer passed away at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center, while waiting heart surgery at the age of 87. He had been admitted into the hospital a few days earlier, for heart testing. September 25th: Jose Fernandez Professional pitcher for the Miami Marlins, Jose Fernandez tragically lost his life of the coast of Miami Beach in Florida, in a boating accident, at the age of 24. In 2013, Baseball America said that Fernandez was â€œthe marlins best prospect and the fifth best prospect in all of baseball.â€ He was part of the MLB All Star game his rookie year in baseball and won the National League-Rookie of the Month Award. Five days prior to his accident, Fernandeez had announced that he and his girlfriend were expecting their first child. After his death, the Marlins announced that they would retire his number. November 11th: Robert Vaughn American actor, known for his work in the original series of; The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The A-Team, and the original film The Magnificent Seven. Passed away after a yearlong battle with leukemia at the age of 83, just a few days before his 84th birthday. Aside from acting, Vaughn was also involved in politics, much like his family. He described himself as a â€œliberal democraticâ€ and campaigned for John F Kennedys Presidential Election in 1960. Vaughn was known as being the type of celebrity, that used their platform for social causes, such as his public stand against the war in Vietnam and was part of the anti-war grass group Another Mother for Peace. November 13th: Leon Russell Considered as a mentor and inspiration by Elton John. Russell was a musician and songwriter who was involved with a lot of best-selling pop albums and chart topping singles. â€œTight Ropeâ€ and â€œLady Blueâ€ were two songs that he both wrote and recorded, that topped the charts. He also produced and played in recording sessions, with The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Ike & Tina Turner and many other artists. Russell had a heart attack earlier in the year and was recovering from heart surgery. He died during his sleep at his home in Tennessee at the age of 74.November 18th: Sharon Jones Soul and Funk and lead singer of the Dap-Kings Sharon Jones, passed away in Cooperstown, New York after suffering a stroke. In 2014 Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, album Give the People What They Want, was nominated for a Grammy; a first for Jones. Although experiencing success rather late, Jones recorded numerous singles and had a strong fan bases throughout much of her career. November 24th: Florence Henderson American actress, singer and beloved mother of six children, Florence Henderson most famously known as Carol Brady. Died in a Los Angeles Hospital, after having heart failure. Henderson had not only a long TV career but film and stage career as well. She was also host of her own talk show, which earned her a Gracie Award for Outstanding Host and Individual Achievement Award as well. She was an actress who had much to give and gave a lot. November 26th: Ron Glass American Actor known best for his character of Derrial Book, in the series Firefly and Serenity. Died of respiratory failure at the age of 71.Â Glass had a TV and film career that lasted decades. And did guest spots in numerous well-known TV shows, like Murder She Wrote, The Twilight Zone, and Friends.Â December 13th:Â Alan Thicke Alan Thicke, one of Americans most beloved TV dads. Sadly, passed away from a ruptured aorta while at a hockey game with his youngest son, in Burbank. Whether you knew him as Dr. Seaver from the 80â€™s sitcom Growing Pains or as Robin Scherbatskys celebrity crush in How I Met Your Mother. Thicke was an actor that was admired by many and beloved by all. His career spans decades and there isnâ€™t a Hollywood actor around today, that doesnâ€™t have a beautiful memory to share of him. His legacy and memories will live on, through the many shows he was a part of. December 15th: Craig Sager Craig Sager, was a sports reporter who spent three decades commenting on NBA games from the sideline. He was known for his well conducted interviews with players and coaches. As well as his colorful attire, that no one could ignore. He was a well-known and liked figure off the court with many celebrities and other NBA players, taking pictures with Sager and posting them to social media sites. Sager, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2014; passed away at the age of 65. On the evening of his passing players form the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks, wore special t-shirts during their warmups, in honor of Sager. December 18th: Zsa Zsa Gabor There are less than a handful of Hollywood actresses today, that embody that old Hollywoodâ€™s style and glamour; and Zsa Zsa Gabor was one of them. Rising to fame in the 1950s and 60â€™s, with dozens of roles that solidified her as more than just a socialite. Gabor, remained elegant and classy throughout her life. Two months before she was to turn 100 years old and reach centenarian statues. Gabor suffered cardiac arrest and passed away at the age of 99. She will be remembered as one of Hollywoodâ€™s most glamourous women.Â December 25th: George Michael On a day, that should be joyous and full of laughter and cheer. Many fans around the world were faced sorrow, over the loss of singe George Michael. Michael gained fame with musical group Wham! With hits such as â€œWake Me Up Before You G-Goâ€ and â€œLast Christmas.â€ Before going solo with his debut album Faith, which sold over 20 million copied worldwide. Throughout his career Michael had won; two Grammys, three AMAâ€™s, three Brit Awards, four MTV Video Awards and four Ivor Novello Awards. Michael was LGBT activist and would hold fundraisers to help HIV/AIDS research. He was a known patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. However, after his death, it was revealed that there were many other foundations that Michael had privately donated too, throughout the years. No cause of death has officially been given, although his manager claims it to be of heart failure. Michael was found Christmas morning by his partner Fadi Fawaz, who said in a statement that Michael â€œpassed away peacefully.â€Â December 26th: Carrie Fisher America may not have monarchy, but it did have a princess. Carrie Fisher who played Princess Leia in the Star Wars trilogies, became an instant star at the age of nineteen. Her portray of princess Leia was not one of a damsel in distress, but of a woman who despite the title, was just as strong and capable as the soldiers in the rebellion. Her portrayal inspired confidence and self-strength to young girls everywhere. Fisher was more than just a galactic rebel princess; she was a writer and activist. Having written eight books, nearly six screenplays and three plays, fisher was a jack of all trades. She was also an outspoken activist, in the fight to eliminate stigmas on mental illness and addiction. While on a flight to Los Angeles from London, Fisher suffered a heart attack and was taken to UCLA Medical Center, where she was put on a ventilator, Four days later her daughter, actress Billie Lourd. Confirmed through a statement sent out by her publicist. That her mother had passed away. Following the news of her death. Many fans took to the Hollywood walk of fame and made a star for Fisher, after noticing that hse did not have on already. December 27th: Debbie Reynolds. Just one day after the tragic passing of her daughter Carrie Fisher. American actress, singer, and humanitarian Debbie Reynolds, passed away after suffering a stroke earlier in the day. Reynolds gained fame after her role as Kathy Seldon in the famous movie musical Singing in The Rain. She has decadesâ€™ worth of films and TV projects under belt, with many having given her awards and nominations. Such as Golden Globes nominations for her role in Bundle of Joy, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Mother and The Debbie Reynolds Show. The Unsinkable Molly Brown, also earned her an Academy Award nomination. She has also earned Emmy and Tony Award nominations for her performance in the stage musical Irene and her role as Grace mother Bobbie Adler. Before being discontinued in 1983, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, offered Golden Globe Awards to actors, they considered to be riding stars. Reynold was a nominee in 1951, for her performance in Three Little Words; which was her first studio role. In 2014 she won the Screen Actors Guild, Life Time Achievement Award and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy, in 2015.Â Following the news that her daughter Carrie had passed away. Reynold suffered a stroke the following day at her home and was transported to medical center in Los Angeles. Her son Todd fisher was the on to confirm that his mother had passed away. No official date has been given as to when the funeral for Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds will be, but that it will be a joint ceremony.