NEW YORK — From music icons to beloved actors and unforgettable figures, 2016 was a year of great loss.
In January, British artist David Bowie died at age 69 after battling cancer. He was one of the first notable celebrities to pass away this year, but certainly not the last.
By December, more than 100 celebrities had died, the latest as of Wednesday being “Star Wars” actress Carrie Fisher. Fisher suffered a cardiac episode while on a flight to Los Angeles and died days later.
In fact, twice as many notable people died in the first three months of 2016 compared to that same period in 2015, BBC reported. These celebrity deaths struck deep chords because many were icons who influenced millions of lives through their music, art and beliefs.
These are the notable celebrities who died in 2016, according to Legacy.com and CNN:
Robert Stigwood, 81
Pierre Boulez, 90
Kitty Kallen, 93
Angela “Big Ang” Raiola, 55
Pat Harrington Jr., 86
Angus Scrimm, 89
Keith Emerson, 71
Phife Dawg, 45
Mike Minor, 75
David Bowie, 69
Harper Lee, 89
Sir George Martin, 90
Vilmos Zsigmond, 85
David Huddleston, 85
Alan Rickman, 69
Kevin Meaney, 60
René Angélil, 73
Dan Haggerty, 74
Noreen Corcoran, 72
Monte Irvin, 96
Abe Vigoda, 94
Glenn Frey, 67
Paul Kantner,74
Maurice White, 74
Katie May, 34
Denise Matthews, known as Vanity, 57
Matt Roberts, 38
Cara McCollum, 24
Fred Hellerman, 89
George Kennedy, 91
Pat Conroy, 70
Joey Feek, 40
Garry Shandling, 66
Patty Duke, 69
Zaha Hadid, 65
James Noble, 94
Bob Elliott, 92
Merle Haggard, 79
Daisy Lewellyn, 36
Doris Roberts, 90
Chyna, real name Joan Marie Laurer, 46
Prince, 57
Billy Paul, 80
Pete Fountain, 86
Jon Polito, 65
Richard Libertini, 82
Madeleine Lebeau, 92
Guy Clark, 74
Morley Safer, 84
Nick Menza, 51
Gordie Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey,” 88
Muhammad Ali, 74
George Gaynes, 98
Christina Grimmie, 22
Lee Reherman, 49
Theresa Saldana, 61
Ann Morgan Guilbert, 87
Ron Lester, 45
Anton Yelchin, 27
Bernie Worrell, 72
Bill Cunningham, 87
Bill Nunn, 63
George Burton, 78
Stanley Dural Jr., known as Buckwheat Zydeco, 68
Curtis Hanson, 71
Ryan Jimmo, 34
Jim Harrison, 78
Larry Drake, 66
Frank Sinatra Jr., 72
Bud Spencer, 86
Buddy Ryan, 85
Juan Gabriel, 66
Attrell Cordes, 46
Pat Summitt, 64
Elie Wiesel, 87
Michael Cimino, 77
Michu Meszaros, 77
Michelle McNamara, 46
Noel Neill, 95
Garry Marshall, 81
Gloria DeHaven, 91
Jerry Doyle, 60
John Saunders, 61
Kenny Baker, 81
John McLaughlin, 89
Steven Hill, 94
Scotty Moore, 84
Gene Wilder, 83
Anna Dewdney, 50
Ken Howard, 71
Alexis Arquette, 47
Charmian Carr, 73
Ron Lester, 45
W.P. Kinsella, 81
Kimbo Slice, 42
Edward Albee, 88
The Lady Chablis, 59
Hugh O’Brian, 91
Jean Shepard, 82
Jose Fernandez, 24
Arnold Palmer, 87
Michael Massee, 64
Phil Chess, 95
Dylan Rieder, 28
Julie Gregg, 79
Leonard Cohen, 82
Robert Vaughn, 83
Leon Russell, 74
Gwen Ifill, 61
Ron Glass, 71
Florence Henderson, 82
Joseph Mascolo, 87
Fritz Weaver, 90
Tommy Ford, 52
Gloria Naylor, 66
Margaret Whitton, 67
Dr. George Nichopoulos, 88
Dave Mirra, 41
Van Williams, 82
William Schallert, 93
Andrew Sachs, 86
George Alaskey, 63
Alan Young, 96
Darwyn Cooke, 53
Will Smith, former New Orleans Saints’ player, 34
Billy Chapin, 72
Greg Lake, 69
Sharon Jones, 60
Alan Thicke, 69
Bernard Fox, 89
Craig Sager, 65
Ricky Harris, 54
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99
Richard Adams, 96
George Michael, 53
Carrie Fisher, 60
Other notable public figures who died in 2016 include:
Nancy Reagan, 94
Janet Reno, 78
Tom Hayden, 76
Youree Dell Harris, 53
Fidel Castro, 90
Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88
Rob Ford, 46
Uhmberto Eco, 84
John Glenn, 77
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 93
Antonin Scalia, 79
Edgar Mitchell, 85
Dale Bumpers, 90
Mike Oxley, 71
Mother Mary Angelica, 92