The list might be missing a couple names, I have the nagging feeling it is. Then again, it's so long I may have put them in there and forgotten.
The list clearly has my personal biases in there (though I left out the Bishop of Burlington, Vermont, Kenneth Angell, when I saw his name listed on Wikipedia - though I've obviously just wormed him in
). If you think I've missed someone obvious, please carefully read through the list to be sure, then post the name. If you wish to mention people important to your own country's culture, please post a LIST, not a single person, along with your country of origin.
So here it is, through December 22, 2016 (I'll update if anyone significant comes up by 12/31):
Prominent and/or Celebrity deaths in 2016:
Dec. 31, 2015
Natalie Cole, 65 – Grammy winning singer, just hours before 2016 began so it was the first we heard of in 2016
Jan. 1
Dale Bumpers, 90 – former Arkansas governor (1971-1975) and U.S. Senator (1975-1999)
Mike Oxley, 71 – U.S. Representative from Ohio’s 4th district (1981-2007)
Jan. 4
Red Parker, 84 – College football coach
Jan. 5
Nicholas Caldwell, 71 – R&B singer with The Whispers
Jan. 6
Pat Harrington, Jr., 86 - actor/voice actor (Schneider on One Day at a Time)
Jan. 8
Otis Clay, 73 – R&B singer
Red Simpson, 81 – Country singer/songwriter
Jan. 9
Angus Scrimm, 89 – actor (Phantasm, Alias)
Jan. 10
David Bowie, 69 – needs no introduction
Jan. 13
Conrad Phillips, 90 – British actor
Jan. 14
Rene Angelil, 73 – pop singer, music manager, managed and married Celine Dion
Alan Rickman, 69 – British actor (Die Hard, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Love Actually, Harry Potter films)
Jan. 15
Dan Haggerty, 74 – actor (The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams)
Jan. 17
Mic Gillette, 64 – brass player with Tower of Power
Dale Griffin, 67 – British drummer for Mott the Hoople
Jan. 18
Johnny Bach, 91 – former NBA player and college and NBA basketball coach
Glenn Frey, 67 – founding member of Eagles
Jan. 19
Micole Mercurio, 77 – actress (Flashdance, What Lies Beneath, The Client)
Jan. 23
Jimmy Bain, 68 – Scottish bassist (Rainbow, Dio)
Jan. 26
Abe Vigoda, 94 – actor (The Godfather, Barney Miller)
Jan. 28
Signe Toly Anderson, 74 – singer (Jefferson Airplane)
Paul Kantner, 74 – musician (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship)
Jan. 29
Linus Maurer, 90 – cartoonist, inspiration for the name of Charles Schultz’s Peanut character Linus Van Pelt
Feb. 3
Maurice White, 74, songwriter and musician (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Feb. 4
Jimmie Haskell, 79 – composer and film orchestrator (The Color Purple, Big, Land of the Lost)
Feb. 6
Dan Gerson, 49 – screenwriter (Monsters, Inc., Big Hero 6, Chicken Little)
Feb. 8
Johnny Duncan, 92 – actor (1949 TV Dick Grayson in Batman & Robin, Plan 9 From Outer Space)
Feb. 13
Antonin Scalia, 79 – U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1986 - death)
Feb. 14
Drewe Henley, 75 – British actor, “Red Leader” in Star Wars
Feb. 15
George Gaynes, 98 – Finnish-born actor, Commandant Lessard in Police Academy films, also in Punky Brewster and Tootsie
Vanity, 57 РCanadian born singer and actress, Prince prot̩g̩
Feb. 16
Jack Elrod, 91 – cartoonist (Mark Trail)
Feb. 17
Archie Lang, 95 – actor (Dallas, General Hospital)
Ray West, 90 – Oscar-winning sound mixer (Star Wars, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Caddyshack)
Feb. 19
Harper Lee, 89 – To Kill A Mockingbird author
Feb. 22
Yolande Fox, 87 – Miss America 1951
Cara McCollum, 24 – Miss New Jersey 2013
Feb. 24
Lennie Baker, 69 – musician and singer with Sha Na Na
Feb. 25
Tony Burton, 78 – actor (Rocky, The Shining)
Jim Clark, 84 – Oscar winning British film editor (The World Is Not Enough, The Killing Fields, Marathon Man)
Feb. 28
Delmer Berg, 100 – American resistance fighter and last known American member of the XV International Brigade which fought in the Spanish Civil War
Frank Kelly, 77 – Irish actor who played Father Jack Hackett in Father Ted
George Kennedy, 91 – actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Naked Gun, Airport)
Mar. 1
Jim Kimsey, 76 – co-founder and CEO of AOL
Mar. 4
Pat Conroy, 70 – author (The Prince of Tides)
Mar. 5
Ray Tomlinson, 74 – programmer who invented the system to send the very first e-mail and assigned the use of the @ sign
Mar. 6
Nancy Reagan, 94 – actress and former First Lady
Mar. 7
Paul Ryan, 66 – comic book artist (Fantastic Four, Superman, The Phantom
Mar. 8
Sir George Martin, 90 - Beatles producer instrumental in shaping their sound, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 6-time Grammy winner
Richard Davalos, 85 – actor (Cool Hand Luke, East of Eden, Kelly’s Heroes)
Rob Jacobs, 78 – co-creator of American Top 40
Mar. 10
Keith Emerson, 71 – Emerson, Lake & Palmer (hadn’t heard this was a suicide by gunshot)
Mar. 13
Adrienne Corri, 85 – actress (Doctor Zhivago, A Clockwork Orange, Doctor Who)
Mar. 22
Phife Dawg, 45 – rapper (A Tribe Called Quest)
David Smyrl, 80 – actor (Sesame Street 1990 – 1998, 8 daytime emmys for the role of Mr. Handford)
Mar. 23
Joe Garagiola Sr., 90 – MLB player (Cardinals, Cubs, Pirates) and Hall of Fame sportscaster
Mar. 24
Garry Shandling, 66 – comedian, actor and writer (The Larry Sanders Show, Over the Hedge)
Mar. 27
Eric Engberg, 74 – news correspondent (CBS News)
Mar. 28
Peggy Fortnum, 96 – original illustrator of Paddington Bear
James Noble, 94 – actor (Benson – played the governor, 10, Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again)
Mar. 29
Patty Duke, 69 – actress (The Patty Duke Show, Valley of the Dolls)
Apr. 2
Amber Rayne, 31 – rather well known pornography actress
Apr. 3
Don Francks, 84 – Canadian jazz vocalist and actor (La Femme Nikita, Inspector Gadget)
Bill Henderson, 90 – jazz vocalist and actor (Clue, City Slickers, White Men Can’t Jump)
Apr. 5
E.M. Nathanson, 88 – author (The Dirty Dozen)
Apr. 6
Merle Haggard, 79 – country singer/songwriter
Apr. 7
Blackjack Mulligan, 73 – WWF wrestler
Jimmie Van Zant, 59 – singer/songwriter/guitarist
Apr. 8
Paul Fung, Jr., 93 – cartoonist (Blondie)
Jack Hammer, 90 – musician and songwriter (wrote Great Balls of Fire)
Apr. 9
Arthur Anderson, 93 – actor/voice actor (most famously the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun in the Lucky Charms ads)
Will Smith, 34 – NFL player, Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints (not the Fresh Prince)
Apr. 12
David Gest, 62 – TV producer and reality show contestant
Apr. 17
Doris Roberts, 90 – actress (Everybody Loves Raymond, Remington Steele, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation)
Apr. 19
Pete Zorn, 65 – musician
Apr. 20
Chyna, 46 – WWE female wrestler
Apr. 21
Prince, 57 – really, the big bomb of the year
May 4
Bob Bennett, 82 – U.S. Senator from Utah (1993-2011)
May 13
Bill Backer, 89 – ad exec and songwriter (“I’d Like to Teach the World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”)
Makiko Futaki, 57 – Japanese animator (Akira, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro)
May 20
Rosanna Huffman, 77 – TV actor and voice actor, recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote and Hill Street Blues as well as voice roles in Oliver & Company, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, and Babe
May 21
Jane Fawcett, 95 – British codebreaker in WWII who played a key role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck
Nick Menza, 51 – drummer with Megadeth
May 24
Buck Kartalian, 93 – actor best known for the role of Julius in the original Planet of the Apes, but also the 3rd member of the cast of Cool Hand Luke to die in 2016
Burt Kwouk, 85 – British actor, Cato in The Pink Panther, Mr. Ling in Goldfinger
May 26
Angela Paton, 86 – actor, Mrs. Lancaster the innkeeper in Groundhog Day amongst her credits
June 3
Muhammad Ali, 74 – boxing legend, 1960 Olympic gold medalist, 3 time WBC heavyweight champion
June 6
Sir Peter Shaffer, 90 – British playwright and screenwriter who wrote Amadeus, two-time Tony and one-time Oscar winner
June 10
Christina Grimmie, 22 – The Voice contestant
Gordie Howe, 88 – Hockey legend, 23-time all star, NHL records for games and seasons played, 2nd all time in many offensive categories. 4 Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, 6-time Art Ross and Hart trophies winner
June 12
George Voinovich, 79 – politician, U.S. Senator from Ohio 1999-2011, Governor of Ohio 1991-1998
Janet Waldo, 96 – voice actress (The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Wacky Races)
June 13
Chips Moman, 79 – songwriter best known for co-writing “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”, also record producer who produced (amongst others) From Elvis in Memphis and its hits “In the Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds”, and “Kentucky Rain”
June 14
Ann Morgan Guilbert, 87 – actor, Millie Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny
Gertrude Kerbis, 89 – architect who designed the rotunda at O’Hare International Airport and the U.S. Air Force Academy
Yumi Shirakawa, 79 – Japanese actress (Rodan)
June 15
Lois Duncan, 82 – author (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hotel for Dogs)
June 17
Attrell Cordes, 46 – Prince Be from PM Dawn
Ron Lester, 45 – actor (Good Burger, Freaks and Geeks, Varsity Blues)
June 19
Anton Yelchin, 27 – Soviet-born American actor best known as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise
June 22
Harry Rabinowitz, 100 – British composer and conductor (Chariots of Fire, Cats)
June 23
Michael Herr, author and screenwriter (Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now)
June 24
Bernie Worrell, 72 – musician with Parliament-Funkadelic
June 27
Aharon Ipal̩, 74 РMoroccan-born Israeli actor who portrayed Pharoah Seti I in The Mummy and The Mummy returns, amongst many other roles (Fiddler on the Roof, Raid on Entebbe, Son of the Pink Panther)
Alvin Toffler, 87 – author (Future Shock, The Third Wave) and futurist whose ideas have influenced prominent people in politics and business
June 28
Pat Summit, 64 – college basketball coach for Tennessee Lady Volunteers
June 29
Stanley Gault, 90 – CEO of Rubbermaid and Goodyear
July 2
Michael Cimino, 77 – screenwriter (The Deer Hunter)
Jack C. Taylor, 94 – businessman, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car
July 3
Noel Neill, 95 – actress, Lois Lane in the 1948 Superman film serials and the 1950s TV show with George Reeves
July 6
Danny Smythe, 67 – drummer with The Box Tops
July 7
Rokusuke Ei, 83 – Japanese author and lyricist who penned the lyrics for the much-covered “Sukiyaki”
July 9
Norman Abbott, 93 – TV director who directed episodes of Leave It to Beaver, Welcome Back, Kotter, Get Smart, The Munsters, Sanford and Son, and The Jack Benny Program. Also a nephew of Bud Abbott of Abbott & Costello.
Carole Switala, 69 – singer and voice actress, the voice of Ana Platypus and Prince Tuesday on Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.
July 14
Eric Bergren, 62 – screenwriter (The Elephant Man)
July 15
Charles Davis, 83 – jazz saxophonist and composer
July 17
Gary S. Paxton, 77 – record producer whose most prominent credit is “Monster Mash”
Fred Tomlinson, 88 – British singer and composer (“The Lumberjack Song” for Monty Python’s Flying Circus)
July 19
Garry Marshall, 81 – director, producer, writer and actor best known for giving us the TV shows Happy Days and its spin-offs Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi, as well as Murphy Brown and the film Pretty Woman, amongst many others you’ve likely heard of if you’re over 35.
July 21
Lewie Steinberg, 82 – Hall of Fame bassist with Booker T. & the M.G.’s
July 24
Marni Nixon, 86 – singer and actress, was the dubbed-in singing voice of leading ladies in musical films such as The King and I, West Side Story, and My Fair Lady amongst others. Some of the stars she sang for include Marilyn Monroe, Deborah Kerr, Sophia Loren, Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, and Janet Leigh. Also appeared in the Disney film version of The Sound of Music as Sister Sophia.
July 25
Tim LaHaye, 90 – author (Left Behind)
July 26
Charles Bilezikian, 79 – retail executive, co-founder of Christmas Tree Shop
Sandy Pearlman, 72 – record producer and band manager (Blue Oyster Cult, The Clash, Black Sabbath)
July 27
Jack Davis, 91 – cartoonist and illustrator, co-founder of Mad magazine
Jerry Doyle, 60 – talk show host and actor (Babylon 5)
August 2
Terence Bayler, 86 – character actor (Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone)
David Huddleston, 85 – actor (The Big Lebowski, Blazing Saddles, Santa Claus: The Movie)
August 9
Barry Jenner, 75 – actor (Admiral William Ross in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
August 11
Glenn Yarbrough, 86 – folk singer (was the singer in the Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit – “The Road Goes Ever On” - and The Return of the King – “Frodo of the Nine Fingers”)
August 13
Kenny Baker, 81 – actor (R2D2 in the Star Wars films, also in Time Bandits and Flash Gordon)
August 14
Fyvush Finkel, 93 – actor (Picket Fences, Boston Public) and 1994 Best Supporting Actor Emmy winner
James Woolley, 49 – keyboardist (Nine Inch Nails, with which he won a 1994 Grammy for Best Metal Performance)
August 16
John McLaughlin, 89 – political commentator and longtime host of PBS’ The McLaughlin Group
August 19
Lou Pearlman, 62 – record producer, music group manager (Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC) and convicted criminal. Also a first cousin of Art Garfunkel
Jack Riley, 80 – comic actor (Elliot Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show – the role was also reprised on Newhart and St. Elsewhere – and a regular cast member of the Tim Conway Show)
August 22
Michael Leader, 78 – British actor (EastEnders, Star Wars) notable for being the Stormtrooper who hits his head on the door in the original film
August 23
Steven Hill, 94 – actor (D.A. Adam Schiff in Law & Order and Dan Briggs, the original Impossible Missions Force leader in the first season of Mission:Impossible)
August 26
Paul Comi, 84 – actor (Rawhide, The Towering Inferno, Cape Fear) who had notable guest roles on The Twilight Zone and Star Trek
August 28
Mr. Fuji, 82 – WWF Wrestler
August 29
Gene Wilder, 83 – actor (The Producers, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, etc., etc. & c.) screenwriter and author
August 30
Doris McLemore, 89 – not famous, but very significant…she is described as the last fluent speak of the Wichita language, which means that language effectively died on this date
September 2
Jerry Heller, 75 – music manager (N.W.A.)
John Hostetter, 69 – actor (John the stage manager in 65 episodes of Murphy Brown, amongst other small roles here and there)
September 3
Anna Dewdney, 50 – children’s author (Llama Llama series of books for little ones)
September 5
Hugh O’Brian, 91 – actor (The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp)
Phyllis Schlafly, 92 – well known American conservative political activist, author, and constitutional lawyer
September 9
James Stacy, 79 – actor (Fred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet). Suffered injuries in a car accident in 1973 resulting in the amputation of his left arm and leg, then turned it into his own typecasting, taking roles that suited his injuries such as Ed the former football hero turned one-armed/one-legged bartender in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Was also the murder victim in the very last episode of Perry Mason (starring Raymond Burr) in 1966.
September 11
Alexis (Robert) Arquette, 47 – actress (The Wedding Singer most notably, but many other small roles as Robert and later Alexis)
September 16
Todd Kimsey, 54 – actor (The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes, and Elaine’s communist boyfriend Ned in The Race episode of Seinfeld, named one of Rolling Stones’ 100 best Seinfeld characters)
September 17
Charmian Carr, 73 – actress (Liesl von Trapp in The Sound of Music)
September 20
Curtis Hanson, 71 – director (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) and Oscar winner
September 21
John D. Loudermilk, 82 – singer/songwriter (“Tobacco Road”)
Richard D. Trentlage, 87 – advertising executive and jingle writer for Oscar Meyer, V8, and the National Safety Council
September 24
Bill Nunn, 63 – actor (Do the Right Thing, ‘00s Spider-Man trilogy as Robbie Robertson, Sister Act)
September 25
Arnold Palmer, 87 – legendary PGA golfer
October 3
Joan Marie Johnson, 72 – singer (The Dixie Cups)
October 5
Rod Temperton, 66 – keyboardist with Heatwave and songwriter, most notably of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
Brock Yates, 82 – automotive journalist with Car and Driver and screenwriter of Smokey and the Bandit II and Cannonball Run
October 8
Gary Dubin, 57 – had bit roles that I’m sure most of you have seen or heard…Danny’s friend Punky on The Partridge Family, Eddie, who got eaten by the shark in Jaws 2, the kid who complains about Jill St. John cheating in the carnival in Diamonds are Forever, and the voice of Toulouse in The Aristocats
Pierre Tchernia, 88 – voice actor of Asterix
October 12
Thomas Mikal Ford, 52 – actor (Martin, Harlem Nights, New York Undercover)
October 17
Eddie Applegate, 81 – Patty’s boyfriend Richard Harrison on The Patty Duke Show
October 20
Michael Massee, 64 – actor (The Crow, 24, The Amazing Spider-Man) who accidentally killed Brandon Lee on set when a gun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks had live ammunition instead
October 21
Frenchy Martin, 69 (aka Jean Gagne) – WWF personality, Dino Bravo’s manager
October 22
Steve Dillon, 54 – English comic book artist (The Punisher, Preacher, Judge Dredd)
October 23
Pete Burns, 57 – singer/songwriter for Dead or Alive
October 24
Bobby Vee, 73 – pop singer (“Rubber Ball”, “Take Good Care of My Baby”)
October 30
Don Marshall, 80 – actor (Land of the Giants) – he was in a single episode of Star Trek, the only place I’ve ever seen him, but I recognized him instantly from his photo. Very recognizable face. Was in the Gallileo Seven episode.
Curly Putman, 85 – country western songwriter (“D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”)
October 31
Natalie Babbitt, 84 – children’s author and illustrator (Tuck Everlasting)
November 4
Eddie Harsch, 59 – Canadian keyboardist, Black Crowes keyboardist from 1991 – 2006
November 5
Marek Svatoš, 34 – Slovakian NHL player
November 7
Leonard Cohen, 82 – Canadian singer/songwriter (“Hallelujah”, one of the most covered songs of all time)
Julie Gregg, 79 – actress, Sandra Corleone in The Godfather
Janet Reno, 78 – politician, former Attorney General of the United States
November 11
Robert Vaughn, 83 – actor (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series, The Magnificent Seven)
November 13
Leon Russell, 74 – music producer, songwriter, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Played on recordings by Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike & Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean. His own debut album included contributions from Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Elton John cites him as a mentor and inspiration. Wrote Joe Cocker’s “Delta Lady”.
November 14
Gwen Ifill, 61 – journalist for PBS NewsHour and Washington week
Janet Wright, 71 -Canadian actress (toss in for you Canadians as these programs didn’t reach most of us in the States) starring in Corner Gas, The Perfect Storm, McCabe & Mrs. Miller
November 16
Mentor Williams, 70 – songwriter and producer who wrote Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”, one of the greatest R&B songs ever made (yeah, ok, I’m injecting my opinion now).
November 18
Sharon Jones, 60 – singer (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings)
Yevgeni Lazarev, 79 – Russian-born American actor (Iron Man 2, The Sum of All Fears, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
November 23
Andrew Sachs, 86 – German-born British actor (most notably Manuel on Fawlty Towers)
Jerry Tucker (aka Jerome Harold Schatz), 91 – actor know for playing the spoiled rich kid in Our Gang from 1931 to 1938
November 24
Florence Henderson, 82 – actress and singer (Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, host of Country Kitchen while also acting as spokeswoman in ads for Wesson Oil). Oddly enough, Shirley Jones who played Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family was Henderson’s best friend and turned down the role of Carol Brady a year before joining TPF.
November 25
Fidel Castro, 90 – Cuban communist dictator since 1959
Ron Glass, 71 – actor (Barney Miller, Firefly)
November 28
Grant Tinker, 90 – TV executive with NBC and CEO of NBC from 1981-1986. Husband of Mary Tyler Moore for 19 years. Shows he developed include I Spy, Dr. Kildare, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Produced Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, and St. Elsewhere. Oversaw NBC as they made hits out of The Cosby Show, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues.
20 professional soccer team members from Brazil on their way to a championship match along with three Brazilian Fox Sports broadcasters died along with others in the crash of LaMia Flight 2933 in Colombia on this date.
December 1
Don Calfa, 76 – actor, the hitman in Weekend at Bernie’s
December 4
Margaret Whitton, 67 – actress (team owner in Major League and Major League II)
December 6
Peter Vaughan, 93 – British actor (Game of Thrones)
December 7
Greg Lake, 69 - British singer and musician (co-founder King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
December 8
John Glenn, 95 – astronaut and later politician, first American to orbit the Earth. U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1974-1999
December 9
Edwin Benson, 85 – another non-famous mention, was the last known speaker of the Mandan language of one of the Sioux tribes
December 10
Eric Hilton, 83 – son and heir of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotel Corporation
December 11
Bob Krasnow, 82 – Executive with Elektra Records and co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
December 13
Alan Thicke, 69 – Canadian actor (Growing Pains, Not Quite Human)
December 14
Bernard Fox, 89 – Welsh-born American actor (Bewitched, Titanic, The Mummy)
December 17
Louis Harris, 95 - American opinion pollster, creator of The Harris Poll, one of the more prominent political polls (now owned by Nielsen)
Henry Heimlich, 96 - American physician, inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver to rescue people who are choking.
December 18
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99 – Hungarian-born American actress (Moulin Rouge, Touch of Evil) and celebrity personality
Gordie Tapp, 94 - Canadian country singer and TV actor/comedian (played several prominent characters in Hee Haw sketches)
December 20
Paul Peter Porges, 89 - cartoonist for MAD Magazine
December 23
Joey Boots, 49 - Baba Booey on the Howard Stern Show
December 24
Richard Adams, 96 - British author (Watership Down, The Plague Dogs)
December 25
George Michael, 53 - British singer/songwriter of Wham! and solo fame, over 100,000,000 albums sold
December 26
Ricky Harris, 54 - comedian/actor/rapper (Heat and various appearance on TV)
George S. Irving - Broadway musical actor, TV actor and voice actor (Narrator in the cartoon Underdog, recurring character as Edith's cousin's loud-mouthed husband in All In the Family)
December 27
Carrie Fisher, 60 - actress,author, and screenwriter best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars but also a supporting actress in When Harry Met Sally and author and screenwriter of Postcards from the Edge which had two Oscar nominations
December 28
Debbie Reynolds, 84 - actress/singer and mother of Carrie Fisher best known for her roles in Singin' In the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown
December 30
Allan Williams, 86 - Beatles' first band manager, personally drove them to Hamburg where they really got their start
December 31
William Christopher, 84 - actor (Father Mulcahy in M*A*S*H and was also in Gomer Pyle:U.S.M.C.). Never would have guessed he was so old, since he looked so young in M*A*S*H, but was already in his 40s then.
The list clearly has my personal biases in there (though I left out the Bishop of Burlington, Vermont, Kenneth Angell, when I saw his name listed on Wikipedia - though I've obviously just wormed him in
). If you think I've missed someone obvious, please carefully read through the list to be sure, then post the name. If you wish to mention people important to your own country's culture, please post a LIST, not a single person, along with your country of origin.So here it is, through December 22, 2016 (I'll update if anyone significant comes up by 12/31):
Prominent and/or Celebrity deaths in 2016:
Dec. 31, 2015
Natalie Cole, 65 – Grammy winning singer, just hours before 2016 began so it was the first we heard of in 2016
Jan. 1
Dale Bumpers, 90 – former Arkansas governor (1971-1975) and U.S. Senator (1975-1999)
Mike Oxley, 71 – U.S. Representative from Ohio’s 4th district (1981-2007)
Jan. 4
Red Parker, 84 – College football coach
Jan. 5
Nicholas Caldwell, 71 – R&B singer with The Whispers
Jan. 6
Pat Harrington, Jr., 86 - actor/voice actor (Schneider on One Day at a Time)
Jan. 8
Otis Clay, 73 – R&B singer
Red Simpson, 81 – Country singer/songwriter
Jan. 9
Angus Scrimm, 89 – actor (Phantasm, Alias)
Jan. 10
David Bowie, 69 – needs no introduction
Jan. 13
Conrad Phillips, 90 – British actor
Jan. 14
Rene Angelil, 73 – pop singer, music manager, managed and married Celine Dion
Alan Rickman, 69 – British actor (Die Hard, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Love Actually, Harry Potter films)
Jan. 15
Dan Haggerty, 74 – actor (The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams)
Jan. 17
Mic Gillette, 64 – brass player with Tower of Power
Dale Griffin, 67 – British drummer for Mott the Hoople
Jan. 18
Johnny Bach, 91 – former NBA player and college and NBA basketball coach
Glenn Frey, 67 – founding member of Eagles
Jan. 19
Micole Mercurio, 77 – actress (Flashdance, What Lies Beneath, The Client)
Jan. 23
Jimmy Bain, 68 – Scottish bassist (Rainbow, Dio)
Jan. 26
Abe Vigoda, 94 – actor (The Godfather, Barney Miller)
Jan. 28
Signe Toly Anderson, 74 – singer (Jefferson Airplane)
Paul Kantner, 74 – musician (Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship)
Jan. 29
Linus Maurer, 90 – cartoonist, inspiration for the name of Charles Schultz’s Peanut character Linus Van Pelt
Feb. 3
Maurice White, 74, songwriter and musician (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Feb. 4
Jimmie Haskell, 79 – composer and film orchestrator (The Color Purple, Big, Land of the Lost)
Feb. 6
Dan Gerson, 49 – screenwriter (Monsters, Inc., Big Hero 6, Chicken Little)
Feb. 8
Johnny Duncan, 92 – actor (1949 TV Dick Grayson in Batman & Robin, Plan 9 From Outer Space)
Feb. 13
Antonin Scalia, 79 – U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1986 - death)
Feb. 14
Drewe Henley, 75 – British actor, “Red Leader” in Star Wars
Feb. 15
George Gaynes, 98 – Finnish-born actor, Commandant Lessard in Police Academy films, also in Punky Brewster and Tootsie
Vanity, 57 РCanadian born singer and actress, Prince prot̩g̩
Feb. 16
Jack Elrod, 91 – cartoonist (Mark Trail)
Feb. 17
Archie Lang, 95 – actor (Dallas, General Hospital)
Ray West, 90 – Oscar-winning sound mixer (Star Wars, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Caddyshack)
Feb. 19
Harper Lee, 89 – To Kill A Mockingbird author
Feb. 22
Yolande Fox, 87 – Miss America 1951
Cara McCollum, 24 – Miss New Jersey 2013
Feb. 24
Lennie Baker, 69 – musician and singer with Sha Na Na
Feb. 25
Tony Burton, 78 – actor (Rocky, The Shining)
Jim Clark, 84 – Oscar winning British film editor (The World Is Not Enough, The Killing Fields, Marathon Man)
Feb. 28
Delmer Berg, 100 – American resistance fighter and last known American member of the XV International Brigade which fought in the Spanish Civil War
Frank Kelly, 77 – Irish actor who played Father Jack Hackett in Father Ted
George Kennedy, 91 – actor (Cool Hand Luke, The Naked Gun, Airport)
Mar. 1
Jim Kimsey, 76 – co-founder and CEO of AOL
Mar. 4
Pat Conroy, 70 – author (The Prince of Tides)
Mar. 5
Ray Tomlinson, 74 – programmer who invented the system to send the very first e-mail and assigned the use of the @ sign
Mar. 6
Nancy Reagan, 94 – actress and former First Lady
Mar. 7
Paul Ryan, 66 – comic book artist (Fantastic Four, Superman, The Phantom
Mar. 8
Sir George Martin, 90 - Beatles producer instrumental in shaping their sound, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, 6-time Grammy winner
Richard Davalos, 85 – actor (Cool Hand Luke, East of Eden, Kelly’s Heroes)
Rob Jacobs, 78 – co-creator of American Top 40
Mar. 10
Keith Emerson, 71 – Emerson, Lake & Palmer (hadn’t heard this was a suicide by gunshot)
Mar. 13
Adrienne Corri, 85 – actress (Doctor Zhivago, A Clockwork Orange, Doctor Who)
Mar. 22
Phife Dawg, 45 – rapper (A Tribe Called Quest)
David Smyrl, 80 – actor (Sesame Street 1990 – 1998, 8 daytime emmys for the role of Mr. Handford)
Mar. 23
Joe Garagiola Sr., 90 – MLB player (Cardinals, Cubs, Pirates) and Hall of Fame sportscaster
Mar. 24
Garry Shandling, 66 – comedian, actor and writer (The Larry Sanders Show, Over the Hedge)
Mar. 27
Eric Engberg, 74 – news correspondent (CBS News)
Mar. 28
Peggy Fortnum, 96 – original illustrator of Paddington Bear
James Noble, 94 – actor (Benson – played the governor, 10, Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again)
Mar. 29
Patty Duke, 69 – actress (The Patty Duke Show, Valley of the Dolls)
Apr. 2
Amber Rayne, 31 – rather well known pornography actress
Apr. 3
Don Francks, 84 – Canadian jazz vocalist and actor (La Femme Nikita, Inspector Gadget)
Bill Henderson, 90 – jazz vocalist and actor (Clue, City Slickers, White Men Can’t Jump)
Apr. 5
E.M. Nathanson, 88 – author (The Dirty Dozen)
Apr. 6
Merle Haggard, 79 – country singer/songwriter
Apr. 7
Blackjack Mulligan, 73 – WWF wrestler
Jimmie Van Zant, 59 – singer/songwriter/guitarist
Apr. 8
Paul Fung, Jr., 93 – cartoonist (Blondie)
Jack Hammer, 90 – musician and songwriter (wrote Great Balls of Fire)
Apr. 9
Arthur Anderson, 93 – actor/voice actor (most famously the voice of Lucky the Leprechaun in the Lucky Charms ads)
Will Smith, 34 – NFL player, Super Bowl champion with the New Orleans Saints (not the Fresh Prince)
Apr. 12
David Gest, 62 – TV producer and reality show contestant
Apr. 17
Doris Roberts, 90 – actress (Everybody Loves Raymond, Remington Steele, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation)
Apr. 19
Pete Zorn, 65 – musician
Apr. 20
Chyna, 46 – WWE female wrestler
Apr. 21
Prince, 57 – really, the big bomb of the year
May 4
Bob Bennett, 82 – U.S. Senator from Utah (1993-2011)
May 13
Bill Backer, 89 – ad exec and songwriter (“I’d Like to Teach the World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”)
Makiko Futaki, 57 – Japanese animator (Akira, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro)
May 20
Rosanna Huffman, 77 – TV actor and voice actor, recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote and Hill Street Blues as well as voice roles in Oliver & Company, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, and Babe
May 21
Jane Fawcett, 95 – British codebreaker in WWII who played a key role in the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck
Nick Menza, 51 – drummer with Megadeth
May 24
Buck Kartalian, 93 – actor best known for the role of Julius in the original Planet of the Apes, but also the 3rd member of the cast of Cool Hand Luke to die in 2016
Burt Kwouk, 85 – British actor, Cato in The Pink Panther, Mr. Ling in Goldfinger
May 26
Angela Paton, 86 – actor, Mrs. Lancaster the innkeeper in Groundhog Day amongst her credits
June 3
Muhammad Ali, 74 – boxing legend, 1960 Olympic gold medalist, 3 time WBC heavyweight champion
June 6
Sir Peter Shaffer, 90 – British playwright and screenwriter who wrote Amadeus, two-time Tony and one-time Oscar winner
June 10
Christina Grimmie, 22 – The Voice contestant
Gordie Howe, 88 – Hockey legend, 23-time all star, NHL records for games and seasons played, 2nd all time in many offensive categories. 4 Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, 6-time Art Ross and Hart trophies winner
June 12
George Voinovich, 79 – politician, U.S. Senator from Ohio 1999-2011, Governor of Ohio 1991-1998
Janet Waldo, 96 – voice actress (The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Wacky Races)
June 13
Chips Moman, 79 – songwriter best known for co-writing “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song”, also record producer who produced (amongst others) From Elvis in Memphis and its hits “In the Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds”, and “Kentucky Rain”
June 14
Ann Morgan Guilbert, 87 – actor, Millie Helper on The Dick Van Dyke Show, Yetta Rosenberg on The Nanny
Gertrude Kerbis, 89 – architect who designed the rotunda at O’Hare International Airport and the U.S. Air Force Academy
Yumi Shirakawa, 79 – Japanese actress (Rodan)
June 15
Lois Duncan, 82 – author (I Know What You Did Last Summer, Hotel for Dogs)
June 17
Attrell Cordes, 46 – Prince Be from PM Dawn
Ron Lester, 45 – actor (Good Burger, Freaks and Geeks, Varsity Blues)
June 19
Anton Yelchin, 27 – Soviet-born American actor best known as Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek film franchise
June 22
Harry Rabinowitz, 100 – British composer and conductor (Chariots of Fire, Cats)
June 23
Michael Herr, author and screenwriter (Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now)
June 24
Bernie Worrell, 72 – musician with Parliament-Funkadelic
June 27
Aharon Ipal̩, 74 РMoroccan-born Israeli actor who portrayed Pharoah Seti I in The Mummy and The Mummy returns, amongst many other roles (Fiddler on the Roof, Raid on Entebbe, Son of the Pink Panther)
Alvin Toffler, 87 – author (Future Shock, The Third Wave) and futurist whose ideas have influenced prominent people in politics and business
June 28
Pat Summit, 64 – college basketball coach for Tennessee Lady Volunteers
June 29
Stanley Gault, 90 – CEO of Rubbermaid and Goodyear
July 2
Michael Cimino, 77 – screenwriter (The Deer Hunter)
Jack C. Taylor, 94 – businessman, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car
July 3
Noel Neill, 95 – actress, Lois Lane in the 1948 Superman film serials and the 1950s TV show with George Reeves
July 6
Danny Smythe, 67 – drummer with The Box Tops
July 7
Rokusuke Ei, 83 – Japanese author and lyricist who penned the lyrics for the much-covered “Sukiyaki”
July 9
Norman Abbott, 93 – TV director who directed episodes of Leave It to Beaver, Welcome Back, Kotter, Get Smart, The Munsters, Sanford and Son, and The Jack Benny Program. Also a nephew of Bud Abbott of Abbott & Costello.
Carole Switala, 69 – singer and voice actress, the voice of Ana Platypus and Prince Tuesday on Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.
July 14
Eric Bergren, 62 – screenwriter (The Elephant Man)
July 15
Charles Davis, 83 – jazz saxophonist and composer
July 17
Gary S. Paxton, 77 – record producer whose most prominent credit is “Monster Mash”
Fred Tomlinson, 88 – British singer and composer (“The Lumberjack Song” for Monty Python’s Flying Circus)
July 19
Garry Marshall, 81 – director, producer, writer and actor best known for giving us the TV shows Happy Days and its spin-offs Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi, as well as Murphy Brown and the film Pretty Woman, amongst many others you’ve likely heard of if you’re over 35.
July 21
Lewie Steinberg, 82 – Hall of Fame bassist with Booker T. & the M.G.’s
July 24
Marni Nixon, 86 – singer and actress, was the dubbed-in singing voice of leading ladies in musical films such as The King and I, West Side Story, and My Fair Lady amongst others. Some of the stars she sang for include Marilyn Monroe, Deborah Kerr, Sophia Loren, Natalie Wood, Rita Moreno, and Janet Leigh. Also appeared in the Disney film version of The Sound of Music as Sister Sophia.
July 25
Tim LaHaye, 90 – author (Left Behind)
July 26
Charles Bilezikian, 79 – retail executive, co-founder of Christmas Tree Shop
Sandy Pearlman, 72 – record producer and band manager (Blue Oyster Cult, The Clash, Black Sabbath)
July 27
Jack Davis, 91 – cartoonist and illustrator, co-founder of Mad magazine
Jerry Doyle, 60 – talk show host and actor (Babylon 5)
August 2
Terence Bayler, 86 – character actor (Monty Python’s Life of Brian, Time Bandits, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone)
David Huddleston, 85 – actor (The Big Lebowski, Blazing Saddles, Santa Claus: The Movie)
August 9
Barry Jenner, 75 – actor (Admiral William Ross in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
August 11
Glenn Yarbrough, 86 – folk singer (was the singer in the Rankin/Bass animated version of The Hobbit – “The Road Goes Ever On” - and The Return of the King – “Frodo of the Nine Fingers”)
August 13
Kenny Baker, 81 – actor (R2D2 in the Star Wars films, also in Time Bandits and Flash Gordon)
August 14
Fyvush Finkel, 93 – actor (Picket Fences, Boston Public) and 1994 Best Supporting Actor Emmy winner
James Woolley, 49 – keyboardist (Nine Inch Nails, with which he won a 1994 Grammy for Best Metal Performance)
August 16
John McLaughlin, 89 – political commentator and longtime host of PBS’ The McLaughlin Group
August 19
Lou Pearlman, 62 – record producer, music group manager (Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC) and convicted criminal. Also a first cousin of Art Garfunkel
Jack Riley, 80 – comic actor (Elliot Carlin on The Bob Newhart Show – the role was also reprised on Newhart and St. Elsewhere – and a regular cast member of the Tim Conway Show)
August 22
Michael Leader, 78 – British actor (EastEnders, Star Wars) notable for being the Stormtrooper who hits his head on the door in the original film
August 23
Steven Hill, 94 – actor (D.A. Adam Schiff in Law & Order and Dan Briggs, the original Impossible Missions Force leader in the first season of Mission:Impossible)
August 26
Paul Comi, 84 – actor (Rawhide, The Towering Inferno, Cape Fear) who had notable guest roles on The Twilight Zone and Star Trek
August 28
Mr. Fuji, 82 – WWF Wrestler
August 29
Gene Wilder, 83 – actor (The Producers, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak, Stir Crazy, etc., etc. & c.) screenwriter and author
August 30
Doris McLemore, 89 – not famous, but very significant…she is described as the last fluent speak of the Wichita language, which means that language effectively died on this date
September 2
Jerry Heller, 75 – music manager (N.W.A.)
John Hostetter, 69 – actor (John the stage manager in 65 episodes of Murphy Brown, amongst other small roles here and there)
September 3
Anna Dewdney, 50 – children’s author (Llama Llama series of books for little ones)
September 5
Hugh O’Brian, 91 – actor (The Life and Times of Wyatt Earp)
Phyllis Schlafly, 92 – well known American conservative political activist, author, and constitutional lawyer
September 9
James Stacy, 79 – actor (Fred in The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet). Suffered injuries in a car accident in 1973 resulting in the amputation of his left arm and leg, then turned it into his own typecasting, taking roles that suited his injuries such as Ed the former football hero turned one-armed/one-legged bartender in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Was also the murder victim in the very last episode of Perry Mason (starring Raymond Burr) in 1966.
September 11
Alexis (Robert) Arquette, 47 – actress (The Wedding Singer most notably, but many other small roles as Robert and later Alexis)
September 16
Todd Kimsey, 54 – actor (The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes, and Elaine’s communist boyfriend Ned in The Race episode of Seinfeld, named one of Rolling Stones’ 100 best Seinfeld characters)
September 17
Charmian Carr, 73 – actress (Liesl von Trapp in The Sound of Music)
September 20
Curtis Hanson, 71 – director (L.A. Confidential, 8 Mile) and Oscar winner
September 21
John D. Loudermilk, 82 – singer/songwriter (“Tobacco Road”)
Richard D. Trentlage, 87 – advertising executive and jingle writer for Oscar Meyer, V8, and the National Safety Council
September 24
Bill Nunn, 63 – actor (Do the Right Thing, ‘00s Spider-Man trilogy as Robbie Robertson, Sister Act)
September 25
Arnold Palmer, 87 – legendary PGA golfer
October 3
Joan Marie Johnson, 72 – singer (The Dixie Cups)
October 5
Rod Temperton, 66 – keyboardist with Heatwave and songwriter, most notably of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”
Brock Yates, 82 – automotive journalist with Car and Driver and screenwriter of Smokey and the Bandit II and Cannonball Run
October 8
Gary Dubin, 57 – had bit roles that I’m sure most of you have seen or heard…Danny’s friend Punky on The Partridge Family, Eddie, who got eaten by the shark in Jaws 2, the kid who complains about Jill St. John cheating in the carnival in Diamonds are Forever, and the voice of Toulouse in The Aristocats
Pierre Tchernia, 88 – voice actor of Asterix
October 12
Thomas Mikal Ford, 52 – actor (Martin, Harlem Nights, New York Undercover)
October 17
Eddie Applegate, 81 – Patty’s boyfriend Richard Harrison on The Patty Duke Show
October 20
Michael Massee, 64 – actor (The Crow, 24, The Amazing Spider-Man) who accidentally killed Brandon Lee on set when a gun that was supposed to be loaded with blanks had live ammunition instead
October 21
Frenchy Martin, 69 (aka Jean Gagne) – WWF personality, Dino Bravo’s manager
October 22
Steve Dillon, 54 – English comic book artist (The Punisher, Preacher, Judge Dredd)
October 23
Pete Burns, 57 – singer/songwriter for Dead or Alive
October 24
Bobby Vee, 73 – pop singer (“Rubber Ball”, “Take Good Care of My Baby”)
October 30
Don Marshall, 80 – actor (Land of the Giants) – he was in a single episode of Star Trek, the only place I’ve ever seen him, but I recognized him instantly from his photo. Very recognizable face. Was in the Gallileo Seven episode.
Curly Putman, 85 – country western songwriter (“D-I-V-O-R-C-E”, “He Stopped Loving Her Today”)
October 31
Natalie Babbitt, 84 – children’s author and illustrator (Tuck Everlasting)
November 4
Eddie Harsch, 59 – Canadian keyboardist, Black Crowes keyboardist from 1991 – 2006
November 5
Marek Svatoš, 34 – Slovakian NHL player
November 7
Leonard Cohen, 82 – Canadian singer/songwriter (“Hallelujah”, one of the most covered songs of all time)
Julie Gregg, 79 – actress, Sandra Corleone in The Godfather
Janet Reno, 78 – politician, former Attorney General of the United States
November 11
Robert Vaughn, 83 – actor (The Man from U.N.C.L.E. TV series, The Magnificent Seven)
November 13
Leon Russell, 74 – music producer, songwriter, musician, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. Played on recordings by Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Ike & Tina Turner, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean. His own debut album included contributions from Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Elton John cites him as a mentor and inspiration. Wrote Joe Cocker’s “Delta Lady”.
November 14
Gwen Ifill, 61 – journalist for PBS NewsHour and Washington week
Janet Wright, 71 -Canadian actress (toss in for you Canadians as these programs didn’t reach most of us in the States) starring in Corner Gas, The Perfect Storm, McCabe & Mrs. Miller
November 16
Mentor Williams, 70 – songwriter and producer who wrote Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”, one of the greatest R&B songs ever made (yeah, ok, I’m injecting my opinion now).
November 18
Sharon Jones, 60 – singer (Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings)
Yevgeni Lazarev, 79 – Russian-born American actor (Iron Man 2, The Sum of All Fears, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare)
November 23
Andrew Sachs, 86 – German-born British actor (most notably Manuel on Fawlty Towers)
Jerry Tucker (aka Jerome Harold Schatz), 91 – actor know for playing the spoiled rich kid in Our Gang from 1931 to 1938
November 24
Florence Henderson, 82 – actress and singer (Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, host of Country Kitchen while also acting as spokeswoman in ads for Wesson Oil). Oddly enough, Shirley Jones who played Shirley Partridge in The Partridge Family was Henderson’s best friend and turned down the role of Carol Brady a year before joining TPF.
November 25
Fidel Castro, 90 – Cuban communist dictator since 1959
Ron Glass, 71 – actor (Barney Miller, Firefly)
November 28
Grant Tinker, 90 – TV executive with NBC and CEO of NBC from 1981-1986. Husband of Mary Tyler Moore for 19 years. Shows he developed include I Spy, Dr. Kildare, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Produced Rhoda, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, Hill Street Blues, and St. Elsewhere. Oversaw NBC as they made hits out of The Cosby Show, Family Ties, The Golden Girls, Cheers, Night Court, and Hill Street Blues.
20 professional soccer team members from Brazil on their way to a championship match along with three Brazilian Fox Sports broadcasters died along with others in the crash of LaMia Flight 2933 in Colombia on this date.
December 1
Don Calfa, 76 – actor, the hitman in Weekend at Bernie’s
December 4
Margaret Whitton, 67 – actress (team owner in Major League and Major League II)
December 6
Peter Vaughan, 93 – British actor (Game of Thrones)
December 7
Greg Lake, 69 - British singer and musician (co-founder King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer)
December 8
John Glenn, 95 – astronaut and later politician, first American to orbit the Earth. U.S. Senator from Ohio from 1974-1999
December 9
Edwin Benson, 85 – another non-famous mention, was the last known speaker of the Mandan language of one of the Sioux tribes
December 10
Eric Hilton, 83 – son and heir of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton Hotel Corporation
December 11
Bob Krasnow, 82 – Executive with Elektra Records and co-founder of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
December 13
Alan Thicke, 69 – Canadian actor (Growing Pains, Not Quite Human)
December 14
Bernard Fox, 89 – Welsh-born American actor (Bewitched, Titanic, The Mummy)
December 17
Louis Harris, 95 - American opinion pollster, creator of The Harris Poll, one of the more prominent political polls (now owned by Nielsen)
Henry Heimlich, 96 - American physician, inventor of the Heimlich Maneuver to rescue people who are choking.
December 18
Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99 – Hungarian-born American actress (Moulin Rouge, Touch of Evil) and celebrity personality
Gordie Tapp, 94 - Canadian country singer and TV actor/comedian (played several prominent characters in Hee Haw sketches)
December 20
Paul Peter Porges, 89 - cartoonist for MAD Magazine
December 23
Joey Boots, 49 - Baba Booey on the Howard Stern Show
December 24
Richard Adams, 96 - British author (Watership Down, The Plague Dogs)
December 25
George Michael, 53 - British singer/songwriter of Wham! and solo fame, over 100,000,000 albums sold
December 26
Ricky Harris, 54 - comedian/actor/rapper (Heat and various appearance on TV)
George S. Irving - Broadway musical actor, TV actor and voice actor (Narrator in the cartoon Underdog, recurring character as Edith's cousin's loud-mouthed husband in All In the Family)
December 27
Carrie Fisher, 60 - actress,author, and screenwriter best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars but also a supporting actress in When Harry Met Sally and author and screenwriter of Postcards from the Edge which had two Oscar nominations
December 28
Debbie Reynolds, 84 - actress/singer and mother of Carrie Fisher best known for her roles in Singin' In the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown
December 30
Allan Williams, 86 - Beatles' first band manager, personally drove them to Hamburg where they really got their start
December 31
William Christopher, 84 - actor (Father Mulcahy in M*A*S*H and was also in Gomer Pyle:U.S.M.C.). Never would have guessed he was so old, since he looked so young in M*A*S*H, but was already in his 40s then.
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