Translate

Thursday, January 12, 2017

In Memoriam 2016

January 1---Dale Bumpers (90), former US Senator and Governor for the state of Arkansas.

January 4---Robert Stigwood (81), producer for seventies hit films "Saturday Night Fever" and "Grease."

January 6---Pat Harrington (86), legendary comedian who starred as superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the TV show "One Day At A Time."

January 10---David Bowie (69), legendary singer with hits such as "Changes" and "Let's Dance."  Bowie died days after celebrating his birthday and release of his final album "Blackstar."

January 11---David Margulies (78), actor best known for his roles as Mayor of New York City in "Ghostbusters" and as a doctor at a mental institute in "Ace Ventura:  Pet Detective."

January 11---Monte Irvin (96), one of the greatest players in Negro League history who would make the Majors with the New York Giants during their world championship runs in the 1950s.

January 13---Jim Simpson (88), one of the first Play-by-Play broadcasters for ESPN when the company debuted.

January 13---Brian Bedford (80), Tony-award winning actor who would also lend his voice to the title role in Disney's animated film "Robin Hood."

January 14---Alan Rickman (69), legendary actor first known for his role as Hans Gruber in "Die Hard."  Younger viewers would know Rickman as Professor Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" films.

January 14---Rene Angelil (73), manager and husband of singer Celine Dion.

January 15---Dan Haggerty (74), actor who played the title role in the movie and TV series "Grizzly Adams."

January 18---Glenn Frey (67), founding member of the legendary band The Eagles, who had many legendary hits including "Hotel California" and "Take it Easy."  Frey also topped the charts on his own with "The Heat Is On."

January 26---Abe Vigoda (94), legendary actor whose roles included detective Phil Fish in the TV series "Barney Miller" and Sal Tessio in the film "The Godfather."

January 28---Paul Kantner (74), guitarist for the psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane.

February 2---Bob Elliott (92), legendary comedian who was part of a TV and radio comedy duo with Ray Goulding.  Elliott is the father of actor Chris Elliott and grandfather of Abby Elliott, who works on "Saturday Night Live."

February 3---Joe Alaskey (63), former cartoon voice actor who voiced Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny along with many other Looney Tunes characters after Mel Blanc.

February 4---Maurice White (74), leader and singer of the legendary group Earth, Wind and Fire.

February 4---Dave Mirra (41), legendary BMX freestyle rider.

February 4---Edgar Mitchell (85), former astronaut who was the sixth man to walk on the moon on Apollo 14.

February 13---Justice Antonin Scalia (79), the leading conservative voice of the United States Supreme Court.

February 15---Denise Matthews (57), front woman for the group Vanity 6 and collaborator for legendary singer Prince.

February 15---George Gaynes (96), actor who was best known as the father in the TV series "Punky Brewster."

February 16---Boutros Boutros-Ghali (93), former secretary general of the United Nations.

February 19---Harper Lee (89), author of the legendary book "To Kill a Mockingbird."

February 19---Umberto Eco (84), author of the book "The Name of the Rose."

February 22---Sonny James (87), former Country music singer who topped the charts with the song "Young Love."

February 25---Tony Burton (78), former actor who portrayed Tony "Duke" Evers in the "Rocky" films.  "Duke" was the trainer for Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) in "Rocky" 1-4.

February 28---George Kennedy (91), Oscar-winning actor who won for his role in "Cool Hand Luke."  Kennedy also starred alongside Leslie Nielsen in the "Naked Gun" franchise.

March 1---Lee Reherman (49), former football player who portrayed "The Hawk" on the TV series "American Gladiators."

March 4---Bud Collins (86), legendary tennis announcer and contributor who covered the sport for almost 50 years.

March 4---Pat Conroy (70), author who wrote "The Prince of Tides."

March 6---Nancy Reagan (94), former First Lady of the United States alongside her husband, President Ronald Reagan.  Nancy was a fierce protector of Ronald and was a spokeswoman for the "just say no" anti-drug campaign.

March 8---Sir George Martin (90), the legendary music producer for The Beatles during their run across the charts in the 1960s.

March 10---Keith Emerson (71), keyboardist for the progressive rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

March 16---Frank Sinatra, Jr. (72), Son of the legendary Frank Sinatra who followed his father into the music business.  Junior is also known for his guest roles on "Family Guy."

March 17---Larry Drake (66), actor best known for his role as Benny on the TV series "L.A. Law"

March 23---Malik Taylor (45), singer also known as Phife Dawg from the rap group A Tribe Called Quest.

March 23---Ken Howard (71), actor best known for his role in "The White Shadow."

March 23---Joe Garagiola (90), legendary baseball player turned broadcaster who also helped co-host "Today."

March 24---Garry Shandling (66), legendary comedian and star of the series "The Larry Sanders Show."

March 29---Patty Duke (69), legendary actress who starred in "The Patty Duke Show."  Duke also won an Academy Award for her role as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker."

April 3---Erik Bauersfeld (93), actor best known for lending his voice to Admiral Akbar and his famous phrase "It's A Trap" in the sixth "Star Wars" film "Return of the Jedi."

April 6---Merle Haggard (79), Country Music legend who had numerous No. 1 hits during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

April 7---Robert Windham (73), former pro wrestler known as Blackjack Mulligan during his time with the WWE.  Windham is the father of legendary performers Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda, as well as the grandfather of current WWE stars Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas.

April 10---Former NFL player Will Smith (34), who won a Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints.

April 18---Doris Roberts (90), legendary actress who may be best known for her role as the Marie Barone in the TV series "Everybody Loves Raymond."

April 20---Jonie Laurer (45), former professional wrestler best known by her ring name Chyna.  Laurer was the first woman to hold a male-dominant championship in 1999 when she won the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

April 21---Michelle McNamara (46), crime writer who was married to comedian Patton Oswalt.

April 21---Prince Roger Nelson (57), legendary musician known to the world as Prince.  He played a major role in the change of the music scene during the 1980s.

May 1---Madeline LeBeau (92), actress who played opposite Humphrey Bogart in the film "Casablanca."

May 8---William Schallert (93), actor who portrayed the father to Patty Duke on "The Patty Duke Show."

May 17---Grammy Award-winning songwriter Guy Clark (74).

May 19---Morley Safer (84), legendary news reporter whose most notable work was on the CBS news show "60 Minutes."

May 19---Alan Young (96), former actor best known for his role as Wilbur in the TV series "Mr. Ed."  Young also voiced Scrooge McDuck in the original Disney show "Duck Tales."

May 21---Nick Menza (51), drummer for the band Megadeth.

May 30---Jan Crouch (78), co-founder of the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

June 3---Cassius Clay (74), legendary boxer best known as Muhammad Ali who won the Heavyweight boxing champions on multiple occasions.  Ali defeated men like Joe Frazier, George Foreman and Sonny Liston during his historical career.

June 6---Kevin Ferguson (42), mixed-martial-artist known to the world as Kimbo Slice.

June 10---Gordie Howe (88), legendary hockey player whose career spanned more than four decades with four Stanley Cup titles to his name as a member of the Detroit Red Wings.

June 11---Christina Grimmie (22), former contestant on "The Voice" who finished third during season 6.

June 12---Michu Meszaros (77), former actor who portrayed the title character in the TV series "Alf."

June 14---Ann Morgan Guilbert (87), actor who had roles in TV series from "The Dick Van Dyke Show" to "Life In Pieces."

June 17---Ron Lester (45), actor who is best known for his role as Billy Bob in the film "Varsity Blues."

June 19---Anton Yelchin (27), actor who was part of the cast in the remade "Star Trek" films.

June 23---Ralph Stanley (89), Grammy-award winning Bluegrass musician.

June 25---Bill Cunningham (87), famed photographer for the New York Times.

June 28---Pat Summitt (64), legendary women's basketball coach who spent all of her 38-year career at the University of Tennessee.  Summitt won 1,098 games and 8 national championships during her tenure.

June 28---Buddy Ryan (85), legendary coach who won a Super Bowl as the Defensive Coordinator of the 1985 Chicago Bears.  Ryan would also become head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals during his career.

June 28---Scotty Moore (84), legendary guitarist who has been credited with helping to launch Elvis Presley's career.

July 2---Elie Wiesel (87), Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of the book "Night," which was about his family's time in a Nazi concentration camp.

July 2---Michael Cimino (77), director of the Oscar-winning film "The Deer Hunter."

July 3---Noel Neill (95), actress who played Lois Lane in the "SuperMan" TV series during the 1950s.

July 19---Garry Marshall (81), creator of "Mork and Mindy" and "Happy Days" on TV and director of hit films "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries."

July 26---Youree Dell Harris (53), former pitchwoman who portrayed "Miss Cleo" on the Psychic Readers Network's TV ads.

August 2---David Huddleston (85), actor who played the title role in "The Big Lebowski."

August 6---Pete Fountain (86), famous New Orleans jazz clarinetist.

August 10---John Saunders (61), legendary anchor with ESPN and ABC Sports, notably on their College Football broadcasts.

August 13---Kenny Baker (81), British actor best known for playing the droid R2-D2 in the early Star Wars films.

August 16---John McLaughlin (89), longtime political commentator who hosted his own TV series "The McLaughlin Group."

August 19---Jack Riley (80), actor who was in "The Bob Newhart Show" and voiced Stu Pickles in "Rugrats."

August 19---Lou Pearlman (62), music manager of the bands NSync and the Backstreet Boys.

August 20---Matt Roberts (38), former guitarist for the band 3 Doors Down.

August 23---Steven Hill (93), legendary actor best known for his role as District Attorney Adam Schiff in the TV series "Law and Order."

August 28---Juan Gabriel (66), Latin American music legend whose soulful pop ballads wooed audiences around the region.

August 28---Harry Fujiwara (82), legendary WWE performer known simply as "Mr. Fuji."

August 28---Gene Wilder (83), legendary actor whose major roles included the doctor in "Young Frankenstein," Jim in "Blazing Saddles" and as the title character in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

September 2---Jon Polito (65), actor who appeared in the films "American Gangster" and "The Big Lebowski."

September 5---Hugh O'Brian (91), actor who portrayed the title role in the 1950s TV series "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp."

September 16---Edward Albee (88), legendary playwright whose works included "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf."

September 16--W.P. Kinsella (81), author of the book "Shoeless Joe," which became the film "Field of Dreams."

September 20---Curtis Hanson (71), director of such films as "Wonder Boys," "8 Mile" and the classic film "L.A. Confidential," where he won an Oscar for its screenplay with Brian Helgeland.

September 24---Stanley Dural, Jr. (68), Grammy and Emmy award winning musician better known as Buckwheat Zydeco.

September 24---Bill Nunn (63), actor with roles in "Do the Right Thing" and the "Spider Man" trilogy.

September 25---Jose Fernandez (24), star pitcher for the Miami Marlins.

September 25---Arnold Palmer (87), legendary golfer who won over 60 tour events and 7 majors (4 Masters) in his illustrious career.  Palmer also designed many courses around the world and has an annual PGA tour event named after him, played at his course in Orlando, Florida.

September 28---Agnes Nixon (93), creator of the soap operas "All My Children" and "One Life to Live."

September 28---Gary Glasberg (50), showrunner for the TV series "NCIS."

October 12---Tommy Ford (52), former actor who was best known as Tommy in the TV series "Martin," which starred Martin Lawrence.

October 23---Tom Hayden (76), a peace activist who sparred the anti-Vietnam War movement during the 1960s.

October 24---Bobby Vee (73), legendary singer with hit songs such as "Devil or Angel" and "Take Good Care of My Baby."  Vee got his big break in 1959 when he and his band filled in at a show in Minneapolis after the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and "The Big Bopper."

November 7---Janet Reno (78), the first female US attorney general who served under President Bill Clinton.

November 7---Leonard Cohen (82), legendary singer-songwriter who wrote classic songs that included "Suzanne" and the often-covered "Hallelujah."

November 11---Robert Vaughn (83), former actor best known for his role as a spy in the TV series "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."

November 13---Leon Russell (74), Rock 'n' Roll star during the 1970s.

November 14---Gwen Ifill (61), longtime journalist who co-anchored PBS' show "NewsHour."

November 18---Sharon Jones (60), lead singer of the group Dap-Kings

November 24---Florence Henderson (82), legendary actress best known as Carol Brady on the TV series "The Brady Bunch."

November 25---Ron Glass (71), actor best known for starring in the TV series "Barney Miller."

November 28---Van Williams (82), actor best know for starring in the TV series "The Green Hornet."

November 30---Alice Drummond (88), actress best known as the librarian in "Ghostbusters" and the mother of Ray Finkle in "Ace Ventura:  Pet Detective."

December 7---Greg Lake (69), founding member of the progressive rock group Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

December 7---Joseph Mascolo (87), soap opera actor who portrayed Stefano DiMera in the NBC soap "Days Of Our Lives."

December 8---John Glenn (95), legendary astronaut who was the first American to orbit the earth.

December 13---Alan Thicke (69), legendary actor best known for his role as TV father Jason Seaver on "Growing Pains."

December 15---Craig Sager (65), legendary Turner Sports sideline reporter best known for his colorful wardrobe.

December 18---Zsa Zsa Gabor (99), former actress and sister of late actress Eva Gabor.

December 18---Gordie Tapp (94), former actor who appeared in the TV Series "Hee-Haw" as Cousin Clem.

December 24---Richard Adams (96), author of the famous children's book "Watership Down."

December 25---George Michael (53), legendary singer/songwriter who started his career as a member of the band Wham!

December 26---Ricky Harris (56), actor and comedian best known as a regular on the TV series "Everybody Hates Chris."

December 26---George S. Irving (94), former actor on screen and on Broadway who won a Tony award for his performance in the musical "Irene," which co-starred Debbie Reynolds (nominated for a Tony) and Carrie Fisher (making her Broadway debut).  Irving may also be best known as the voice of Heat Miser in the Christmas TV special "A Year Without a Santa Claus" and its spinoff show "A Miser Brother's Christmas."

December 27---Carrie Fisher (60), legendary actress best known for her role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" trilogy during the 1970s and 80s.  Recently, Fisher is best known for her role on the TV Series "Family Guy" as main character Peter Griffin's boss.

December 28---Debbie Reynolds (84), legendary actress during the 1950s and 60s best known for starring opposite Gene Kelly in the musical "Singin' in the Rain."  Reynolds is also the mother of actress Carrie Fisher.

December 31---William Christopher (84), actor best known for his role as Father Mulcahy in the TV series "M*A*S*H."

No comments:

Post a Comment