As it comes to an end, we will remember 2016 as a year in which a lot of celebrities -- many of them undisputed cultural icons -- kicked the can. There have been several famous deaths in the past week alone, including George Michael, Carrie Fisher, and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, who died the day after her daughter. Most of us well know that the year 2016 isn't the sole force taking these lives, and we don't need another op-ed explaining that famous people will continue to die in 2017. So please stop ridiculing people for defining 2016 as a particularly tough year in their attempts to cope with the losses of some very important people.
Prince, Bowie, Ali, and Phife Dawg in the same year? That ain't right. No disrespect to anyone who died in 2015 or 2014, but the truth is that there aren't quite as many beloved luminaries in the obituaries from those years as there are on this year's list of celebrity casualties, which you can find below.
Hip-hop fans have had as tough a 2016 as anyone, with the deaths of Bankroll Fresh, Shawty Lo, Afeni Shakur, and more. The members of the hip-hop community who left us in 2016 are highlighted below.
David Bowie - 01/10
Alan Rickman - 01/14
Glenn Frey - 01/18
Abe Vigoda - 01/26
DJ Big Kap - 02/03
Maurice White - 02/04
Dave Mirra - 02/04
Denise Mathews - 02/15
Umberto Eco - 02/19
Harper Lee - 02/19
Tony Burton - 02/25
Tony Dyson - 03/03
Bankroll Fresh - 03/04
Nancy Reagan - 03/06
George Martin - 03/08
Frank Sinatra, Jr. - 03/16
Phife Dawg - 03/22
Gary Shandling - 03/24
Patty Duke - 03/29
Merle Haggard - 04/06
Doris Roberts - 04/17
Joanie Laurer (Chyna) - 04/20
Prince - 04/21
Billy Paul - 04/22
Afeni Shakur Davis - 05/02
Morley Safer - 05/19
Harambe - 05/28
Muhammad Ali - 06/03
Kimbo Slice - 06/06
DJ White Owl - 06/07
Gordie Howe - 06/10
Prince Be (of P.M. Dawn) - 06/17
Anton Yelchin - 06/19
Bernie Worrell - 06/24
Pat Summit - 06/28
Elie Wiesel - 07/02
Garry Marshall - 07/19
Miss Cleo - 07/26
Gene Wilder - 08/28
Juan Gabriel - 08/28
Jerry Heller - 09/02
Shawty Lo - 09/21
Arnold Palmer - 09/25
Kashif - 09/25
Tommy Ford - 10/12
Peter Burns - 10/23
Leonard Cohen - 11/07
Janet Reno - 11/07
Mr. 3-2 - 11/11
Leon Russell - 11/13
Gwen Ifill - 11/14
Sharon Jones - 11/18
Florence Henderson - 11/24
Johnny P - 11/27
Rashaan Salaam - 12/05
John Glenn - 12/08
Alan Thicke - 12/13
Craig Sager - 12/15
Zsa Zsa Gabor - 12/18
Carole Smith - 12/24
Liz Smith - 12/24
George Michael - 12/25
Ricky Harris - 12/26
George S. Irving - 12/26
Carrie Fisher - 12/27
Debbie Reynolds - 12/28
Keion Carpenter - 12/29