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2016 has been the year of celebrity deaths

January 5, 2017   ·   0 Comments

2016 is almost over, and it’s certainly one for the books.

From Brexit, to the Fort McMurray forest fire, the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting and the U.S. presidential election. These moments aside, what makes 2016 unique is the celebrity deaths, big and small, old and young, and from various forms of entertainment, leaving imprints and holes in their fields difficult to fill, several of them Canadian.

The year began with the death of David Bowie, famous rock musician known for his alter ego “Ziggy Stardust,” died from liver cancer. English actor Alan Rickman, known for his distinctive voice and roles of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, and terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard, succumbed shortly after to pancreatic cancer.

In Canada, the same day Alan Rickman passed, Rene Angelil died after a lengthy battle with throat cancer. The husband and manager of Celine Dion, his death received a national funeral service.

Everybody’s favourite princess Carrie Fisher, renowned for playing Princess Leia in the Star Wars saga, passed away on Dec. 27 four days after suffering from a heart attack while flying  into Los Angeles from London. The star’s mother, Debbie Reynolds, died the very next day – Dec. 28 – after suffering from a severe stroke.

Days later, Glenn Frey, frontman and singer of the rock band The Eagles, passed away. Known for hits including “Take it Easy” and “Hotel California,” the group immediately disbanded.

In a week, the entertainment world lost some of its most influential people in their fields; the industry would continue loosing more.

The music industry lost George Martin, producer of The Beatles, Prince, George Michael and Leonard Cohen. They all brought something to the industry, whether influencing rock/pop’s most innovative group, possessing a powerful vocal range and stage presence, or being one of Canada’s prolific songwriters and musicians.

Some passing’s’ were accidental, including Anton Yelchin, known as Pavel Chekov in the Star Trek reboot series, in a freak car accident at the age of 27, and Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlin’s pitcher, at 24, from a boating accident.

Other celebrities who passed weren’t visually entertaining, but brought a unique level of change, a time where change was constant, including Harper Lee, author of the influential novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth.

In the political world, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, known for his substance abuse video scandal, died from cancer. Nancy Reagan, former first lady and wife of the late Ronald Reagan, passed away at 94, while Fidel Castro, Cuba’s former communist leader, passed away at 90, his death invoking mourning and cheers.

In sports, hockey lost Gordie Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey” due to his skating, scoring and record number of games played. Boxing lost Muhammad Ali, an inspirational figure of the 20th century.

2016 was a year unlike anything experienced recently, and with these celebrity deaths, what will 2017 bring?

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