TL;DR – This has been quite a deadly year for us.
2016 has been quite deadly for famous people.
Deadly 2016. Image from Facebook
Here are 8 famous people who left us in 2016 and left a gaping hole in our hearts.
1. David Bowie
With great hits like “The Man Who Sold the World”, “Rebel, Rebel”, and “Space Oddity”, David Bowie was a great singer, songwriter and actor. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, his music and stagecraft significantly influencing popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million worldwide, made him one of the world’s best-selling music artists. Will we ever see the likes of him ever again? Here is his brilliance, once more:
2. Prince
Another great musical artistes that left us is Prince. Not only is he a talented singer-songwriter, Prince is a great multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the best-selling artistes of all time. He won seven Grammy Awards, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award for the film Purple Rain.
3. Leonard Cohen
In this festive season, a common song we hear one version of Hallelujah. But the original version of Hallelujah was written by Leonard Cohen. But did you know that he wasn’t just a singer-songwriter? He was also a poet, novelist, and painter.
4. Gene Wilder
We didn’t just lose famous people in the music industry in 2016. We also lost actors. Such as Gene Wilder. Or better known to many of us as Willy Wonka. For his portrayal of the whacky owner of the Chocolate Factory every child dreamt of, he was nominated for Golden Globe.
Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. Image from Getty Images
5. Alan Rickman
Another great actor who left us in 2016 is Alan Rickman. He was the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, for which he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He was also the e title character in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, which won him a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors Guild Award. But many of us will remember him as Professor Snape.
Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Image via The Nerdist
6. Kenny Baker
Perhaps not many people would know who Kenny Baker is. But most people would know the role he is best known for portraying. Baker was selected by George Lucas to operate R2-D2 in the Star Wars film. In “Return of the Jedi”, Baker also played Paploo, the Ewok who steals an Imperial speeder bike.
Kenny Baker as R2-D2. Image via 9GAG
7. Joe Alaskey
Similar to Kenny Baker, it’s likely that many people won’t know who Joe Alasky is. But most people will know the characters he voiced. Aalskey voiced many Warner Bros. cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
Joe Alaskey, the voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Image from Sgranitz/Wireimage
8. Mohammad Ali
We didn’t just lose singers and actors in 2016. We also lost one of sports greatest heroes this year. Cassius Clay, better known as Mohammad Ali, best known for floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee, left us this year. He was regarded as one of the leading heavyweight boxers of the 20th century. His performance in the ring earned him the nickname “The Greatest”. Outside of the ring, he set an example of racial pride for African Americans and resistance to white domination during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.
Mohammad Ali. Image from Boxinginsider.com
These people may have left us. But their lives and works remain immortal, for they shall live on in our memories.
