The Year in Entertainment 2016 — Those We Lost

Getty Images/Ethan Miller(NEW YORK) — In 2016, the world of entertainment said goodbye stars whose work will live on. Here are just a few of the notable entertainers we lost:

Craig Strickland — body found January 4 — Backroad Anthem  lead singer. Search crews found Strickland’s body in Oklahoma more than a week after he disappeared while duck hunting on Kaw Lake with his friend Chase Morland. He was 29.

Robert Stigwood — announced January 4 — manager for legendary bands such as Cream and the Bee Gees, and producer of blockbuster musical films like Saturday Night Fever and Grease. He was 81.

Pat Harrington, Jr. — January 6 — played handyman Schneider on One Day at a Time. He was 86.

David Bowie — January 10 — rock icon. He’d been battling cancer for 18 months. He was 69.

David Margulies — January 11 — played the mayor of New York in the two Ghostbusters films in the 1980s, and Tony Soprano’s lawyer, Neil Mink, in The Sopranos. Margulies was 78.

Alan Rickman — January 14 — Harry PotterDie HardLove Actually actor. He died after a battle with cancer. He was 69.

Rene Angelil — January 14 — Celine Dion’s husband and manager. He died after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 73.

Dan Haggerty — January 15 — The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams star. He was 74.

Dale Griffin — January 17 — drummer for Mott The Hoople. He was 67.

Glenn Frey — January 18 — Eagles co-founder. He died of complications from rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. Frey was 67.

Abe Vigoda — January 26 — actor, The Godfather, Phil Fish in Barney Miller. He was 94.

Paul Kantner — January 28 — founding member of Jefferson Airplane and member of spinoff group Jefferson Starship. He was 74.

Signe Anderson — January 28 — Jefferson Airplane’s original female vocalist. She was 74.

Frank Finlay — January 30 — earned an Oscar nomination for playing Iago in the 1965 film version of Shakespeare’s Othello. He was 89.

Maurice White — February 3 — Earth, Wind & Fire founder. White suffered from Parkinson’s disease, was 74.

Dave Mirra — February 4 — X Games biker, Real World/Road Rules Challenge host. He died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 41.

Daniel Gerson — February 6 — co-wrote Disney animated films including Monsters, Inc. and Big Hero 6. He was 49.

Angela “Big Ang” Raiola — February 18 — Mob Wives reality star. She was 55.

Harper Lee — February 19 — To Kill a Mockingbird author. She was 89.

George Kennedy — February 28 — Oscar-winner for Cool Hand Luke, appeared in the Airport films and The Naked Gun movies. He was 91.

Pat Conroy — March 4 — author of The Great Santini and The Prince of Tides. He was 70.

Nancy Reagan — March 6 — former first lady, wife of the late President Ronald Reagan. She was 94.

Sir George Martin — March 8 — famed Beatles producer. He was 90.

Keith Emerson — March 11 — one-third of the pioneering progressive rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer. His death was ruled a suicide. He was 71.

Sylvia Anderson — March 16 — along with her then-husband Gerry Anderson, she co-created the mid-1960s British puppet series Thunderbirds and voiced Lady Penelope. She was 88.

Larry Drake — March 17 – played the villain in Darkman, won two Emmys for playing mentally-challenged character Benny Stulwicz in L.A. Law. He was 66.

Ken Howard — March 23  — White Shadow star who most recently appeared as Hank Hooper on 30 Rock.  Longtime president of the Screen Actors Guild. He was 71.

Garry Shandling — March 24 — comedian, The Larry Sanders Show star. It was announced December 27 that he died from a blood clot in his leg that traveled to his heart. He was 66.

Jim Harrison — March 26 — Legends of the Fall author. He was 78.

James Noble — March 28 — played the goofy, kindhearted Governor Gatling on the 1980s sitcom Benson. He was 94.

Patty Duke — March 29 — won an Oscar as a teen for playing Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. Also star of The Patty Duke Show. She was 69.

Merle Haggard — April 6 — country music legend, “Okie From Muskogee,” “Sing Me Back Home.” He was 79.

David Gest — April 12 — music producer, former husband of Liza Minnelli. He was 62.

Rod Daniel — April 16 — directed Teen WolfK-9Beethoven’s 2nd. He was 73.

Doris Roberts — April 17 — Everybody Loves Raymond star.  She was 90.

Chyna — found dead April 20 — WWE wrestler whose birth name was Joan Marie Laurer. Reports had her listed as either 45 or 46.

Guy Hamilton — April 20 — directed four James Bond movies in the 1960s and 1970s: Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever, starring Sean Connery, and Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun, featuring Roger Moore. Hamilton was 93.  

Prince — found dead at his home on April 21 — legendary musician whose hits included “Little Red Corvette,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.” It was determined he died of an accidental Fentanyl overdose, which he “self-administered.” He was 57.

Lonnie Mack — April 21 — musician known for instrumental recordings that influenced guitar greats like Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was 74.

Billy Paul — April 24 — jazz and soul singer best known for the song “Me and Mrs. Jones.” He was 81.

Madeleine LeBeau — May 1 — played Rick’s girlfriend Yvonne in Casablanca. She was 92.

Afeni Shakur — May 3 — mother of Tupac Shakur. She was 69.

William Schallert — May 8 — played Patty Duke’s father on The Patty Duke Show. He was 93.

Guy Clark — May 17 — musician, wrote hits like “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train.” He was 74.

John Berry — May 19 — original member of the Beastie Boys. He was 52.

Muhammad Ali — June 3 — boxing icon and activist. He was 74.

Christina Grimmie — June 10 — singer, former Voice contestant. Fatally shot as she signed autographs following a concert in Orlando. She was 22.

Janet Waldo — June 11 — voiced Judy Jetson on The Jetsons. She was 96.

Mihaly “Michu” Meszaros — June 13 — played ALF in the sitcom of the same name. He was 76.

Lincoln “Chips” Moman — June 13 — Memphis producer, musician and songwriter, worked with Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, among others. He was 79.

Henry McCullough — June 14 — guitarist in Wings. He was 72.

Ann Morgan Guilbert — June 15 — played the neighbor Millie on the classic 1960s sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show. She was 87.

Anton Yelchin — found dead June 19 –starred in Star Trek reboot movies as Chekhov. His death was determined to be accidental, caused by “blunt traumatic asphyxia.” The actor, who was 27, was found pinned by his own 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee against a brick mailbox in the driveway of his Studio City, California, home.

Robin Hardy — July 1 — director of The Wicker Man. He was 86.

Michael Cimino — July 2 — Oscar-winning director, The Deer HunterHeaven’s Gate. He was 77.

Elie Wiesel — July 2 — Nobel laureate, Holocaust survivor and author. He was 87.

Noel Neill — July 3 –- actress, played Lois Lane in 1948 movie serial Superman and in the 1950s TV series The Adventures of Superman. She was 95.

Hector Babenco — July 13 — directed film Kiss of the Spider Woman. He was 70.

Garry Marshall — July 19 — Happy DaysThe Odd Couple creator, Pretty Woman director. He was 81.

Miss Cleo — July 26 — star of commercials for Psychic Readers Network. Her birth name was Youree Dell Harris. She was 53.

Jerry Doyle — announced July 28 — played Michael Garibaldi on the 1990s sci-fi series Babylon 5. He was 60.

Gloria DeHaven — July 30 — singer-actress who starred in MGM musicals in the 1940s. She was 91.

David Huddleston — August 2 — played title role in The Big Lebowski, also starred in Santa Claus: The Movie and Blazing Saddles. He was 85.

Ricci Martin — August 3 — musician and son of Dean Martin. He was 62.

Sagan Lewis — August 7 — played Dr. Jacqueline Wade on the 1980s medical drama St. Elsewhere. She was 63.

John Saunders — announced August 10 — ESPN broadcaster. He was 61.

Barry Jenner — August 8 — played Admiral Ross on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He was 75.

Kenny Baker — founded dead August 13 — played R2-D2 in six Star Wars movies, beginning with the 1977 original. He was 81.

John McLaughlin — announced August 16 — host of The McLaughlin Group. He was 89.

Arthur Hiller — August 17 — director of the 1970 romantic tragedy Love Story starring Ryan O’Neal. He was 92.

Matt Roberts — found dead August 20 — founding member of the rock band 3 Doors Down. He was 38.

Lou Pearlman — died August 19 in prison — music impresario who launched The Backstreet Boys and ‘NSNYC, was serving a sentence for a Ponzi scheme. He was 62.

Jack Riley — August 19 — played Mr. Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show and voiced Stu Pickles on Rugrats. He was 80.

Steven Hill — August 23 — Mission: Impossible actor; portrayed District Attorney Adam Schiff on Law & Order. He was 94.

Gene Wilder — August 28 — comedy acting legend, credits include The ProducersBlazing SaddlesYoung Frankenstein. He was 83.

Jon Polito — September 1 — Coen Brothers film actor. He was 65.

Jerry Heller — September 2 — music manager, N.W.A. He was 75.

Hugh O’Brian — September 5 — played Sheriff Wyatt Earp on 1950s TV series. He was 91.

Alexis Arquette — September 11 — transgender actress, sibling of actors David, Rosanna, Richmondand Patricia Arquette. She was 47.

W.P. Kinsella — September 16 — author of Field of Dreams. He was 81.

Edward Albee — September 16 — three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? He was 88.

Charmian Carr — September 17 — actress who played the eldest von Trapp daughter, Liesl von Trapp, in The Sound of Music. She was 73.

Curtis Hanson — declared dead September 20 — won an Oscar for the screenplay for L.A. Confidential, directed 8 Mile. He was 71.

Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. — September 24 — zydeco music star, led Buckwheat Zydeco. He was 68.

Bill Nunn — September 24 — actor, Do the Right ThingSpider-Man franchise. He was 63.

Jean Shepard — announced September 25 — country singer, “the grand lady of the Grand Ole Opry.” Shepard was 82.

Arnold Palmer — September 25 — golfing legend. He was 87.

Shimon Peres — September 28 — former Israeli president and prime minister. He was 93.

Gary Glasberg — September 28 — executive producer of NCIS and creator of NCIS: New Orleans. He was 50.

Agnes Nixon — September 28 — creator of One Life to Live and All My Children. She was 93.

Patricia Barry — October 11 — actress, Days of Our LivesGuiding Light and All My Children. She was 93.

Tommy Ford — October 12 — starred on Martin Lawrence sitcom Martin. He was 54.

Eddie Applegate — October 17 — played Richard Harrison, the boyfriend of Patty Duke’s Patty Lane, on the classic 1960s series The Patty Duke Show. He was 81.

Phil Chess — October 19 — co-founder of Chess Records, the Chicago-based label that featured greats like Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. He was 95.

Leonard Cohen — November 7 — singer/songwriter/poet/author, “Hallelujah,” “Bird on the Wire,” “Suzanne.”  He was 82.

Leon Russell — November 13 — singer, songwriter, “This Masquerade,” “A Song for You,” “Delta Lady,” “Tightrope.”  He was 74.

Holly Dunn — November 14 — country singer, songwriter, “Are You Ever Gonna Love Me,” “There Goes My Heart Again,” “You Really Had Me Going.”  Ovarian cancer.  She was 59.

Florence Henderson — November 24 — actress, Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch.  Heart failure.  She was 82.

Ron Glass — November 25 — actor, Det. Ron Harris on Barney Miller, Shepherd Darriel Book on Firefly.  Respiratory failure.  He was 71.

Andrew Sachs — November 23 — actor, Manuel, the hapless waiter on TV’s Fawlty Towers.  Vascular dementia.  He was 86.

Alan Thicke — December 13 — actor, TV’s Growing Pains.  Heart attack.  He was 69.

Bernard Fox — December 14 — actor, Doctor Bombay on TV’s Bewitched, many other movie and TV roles.  Heart failure.  He was 89.

Zsa Zsa Gabor — December 18 — actress and celebrity, most famous for playing her glamorous self.  Natural causes after a long illness.  She was 99.

Richard Adams — December 24 — British author, Watership DownShardikTraveller, others.  Natural causes.  He was 96.

George Michael — December 25 — pop singer, late of Wham! and then solo.  Died at home in his sleep of apparent heart failure.  He was 53.

Carrie Fisher — December 27 — actress and author, best-remembered for her iconic role as Princess Leia Organa — later, General Leia Organa — in the Star Wars movies.  Died of apparent cardiac arrest suffered December 23.  She was 60.

Debbie Reynolds — December 28 — singer, actress, Hollywood legend, best known for her roles in Singin’ in the RainThe Unsinkable Molly Brown, Will and Grace.  Embroiled in scandal when, in 1959, her husband Eddie Fisher left her for her good friend, Elizabeth Taylor. Died of a massive stroke a day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher, passed away.  She was 84.

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