A long list of famous people that died in 2016 and why it matters to so many of us. By Mike Limon

Last night, Wednesday, December 28, 2016,  news broke out on social media informing us  that Debbie Reynolds had passed away after being taken to Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. This shocked many of us because we were just getting over the news that her daughter, Carrie Fisher, had passed away the day before. These deaths hit us hard because they were so sudden and they came one after another.We barely had time to process the death of one celebrity when news of another one passing away had hit us. All over the world, people die everyday. You just don’t hear about it unless it’s somebody famous. But why does the news of somebody famous dying affect so many of us and how? My personal belief is that even though we may have never met these celebrities, they are a part of our lives. Whether they were singers, actors, athletes, astronauts, etc, they entertained us in one way or another. They made an impact on the world. We can all relate to the songs, movies, and characters that they played in movies, and when the celebrity passes away, we somehow feel that a part of our lives is somehow now missing. Could it be because we won’t see them on the screen or TV anymore? For many of us, we grew up watching and listening to these people, so in essence, a part of our childhood is now gone, and that’s why it affects us so deeply. Plus the fact that we admired so many of these people, and the talent that they had. I felt this way when my mother passed away, and then my mother-in-law passed away. Two important women in my life had gone.Though they weren’t famous, they mattered to one person; me. I knew that I wouldn’t be seeing or talking to them anymore.

But there is good news in all of these sudden deaths. We can still see the movies that these actors made. We can still hear the music that these musicians created. Yes, life will go on for the rest of us, and more famous people will pass away, but hopefully it won’t happen like it did in December of 2016. So sudden and so quickly. Rest in Peace to all of our celebrity friends who passed away, whether you knew them personally or not, they were people, and many of them great personalities. They will be missed, but their contributions in making this world a better place will continue for a very long time!

1. Robert Stigwood, 81
2. Pierre Boulez, 90
3. Kitty Kallen, 93
4. Angela “Big Ang” Raiola, 55
5. Pat Harrington Jr., 86
6. Angus Scrimm, 89
7. Keith Emerson, 71
8. Phife Dawg, 45
9. Mike Minor, 75
10. David Bowie, 69
11. Harper Lee, 89
12. Sir George Martin, 90
13. Vilmos Zsigmond, 85
14. David Huddleston, 85
15. Alan Rickman, 69
16. Kevin Meaney, 60
17. René Angélil, 73
18. Dan Haggerty, 74
19. Noreen Corcoran, 72
20. Monte Irvin, 96
21. Abe Vigoda, 94
22. Glenn Frey, 67
23. Paul Kantner,74
24. Maurice White, 74
25. Katie May, 34
26. Denise Matthews, known as Vanity, 57
27. Matt Roberts, 38
28. Cara McCollum, 24
29. Fred Hellerman, 89
30. George Kennedy, 91
31. Pat Conroy, 70
32. Joey Feek, 40
33. Garry Shandling, 66
34. Patty Duke, 69
35. Zaha Hadid, 65
36. James Noble, 94
37. Bob Elliott, 92
38. Merle Haggard, 79
39. Daisy Lewellyn, 36
40. Doris Roberts, 90
41. Chyna, real name Joan Marie Laurer, 46
42. Prince, 57
43. Billy Paul, 80
44. Pete Fountain, 86
45. Jon Polito, 65
46. Richard Libertini, 82
47. Madeleine Lebeau, 92
48. Guy Clark, 74
49. Morley Safer, 84
50. Nick Menza, 51
51. Gordie Howe, known as “Mr. Hockey,” 88
52. Muhammad Ali, 74
53. George Gaynes, 98
54. Christina Grimmie, 22
55. Lee Reherman, 49
56. Theresa Saldana, 61
57. Ann Morgan Guilbert, 87
58. Ron Lester, 45
59. Anton Yelchin, 27
60. Bernie Worrell, 72
61. Bill Cunningham, 87
62. Bill Nunn, 63
63. George Burton, 78
64. Stanley Dural Jr., known as Buckwheat Zydeco, 68
65. Curtis Hanson, 71
66. Ryan Jimmo, 34
67. Jim Harrison, 78
68. Larry Drake, 66
69. Frank Sinatra Jr., 72
70. Bud Spencer, 86
71. Buddy Ryan, 85
72. Juan Gabriel, 66
73. Attrell Cordes, 46
74. Pat Summitt, 64
75. Elie Wiesel, 87
76. Michael Cimino, 77
77. Michu Meszaros, 77
78. Michelle McNamara, 46
79. Noel Neill, 95
80. Garry Marshall, 81
81. Gloria DeHaven, 91
82. Jerry Doyle, 60
83. John Saunders, 61
84. Kenny Baker, 81
85. John McLaughlin, 89
86. Steven Hill, 94
87. Scotty Moore, 84
88. Gene Wilder, 83
89. Anna Dewdney, 50
90. Ken Howard, 71
91. Alexis Arquette, 47
92. Charmian Carr, 73
93. W.P. Kinsella, 81
94. Kimbo Slice, 42
95. Edward Albee, 88
96. The Lady Chablis, 59
97. Hugh O’Brian, 91
98. Jean Shepard, 82
99. Jose Fernandez, 24
100. Arnold Palmer, 87
101. Michael Massee, 64
102. Phil Chess, 95
103. Dylan Rieder, 28
104. Julie Gregg, 79
105. Leonard Cohen, 82
106. Robert Vaughn, 83
107. Leon Russell, 74
108. Gwen Ifill, 61
109. Ron Glass, 71
110. Florence Henderson, 82
111. Joseph Mascolo, 87
112. Fritz Weaver, 90
113. Tommy Ford, 52
114. Gloria Naylor, 66
115. Margaret Whitton, 67
116. Dr. George Nichopoulos, 88
117. Dave Mirra, 41
118. Van Williams, 82
119. William Schallert, 93
120. Andrew Sachs, 86
121. George Alaskey, 63
122. Alan Young, 96
123. Darwyn Cooke, 53
124. Will Smith, former New Orleans Saints’ player, 34
125. Billy Chapin, 72
126. Greg Lake, 69
127. Sharon Jones, 60
128. Alan Thicke, 69
129. Bernard Fox, 89
130. Craig Sager, 65
131. Ricky Harris, 54
132. Zsa Zsa Gabor, 99
133. Richard Adams, 96
134. George Michael, 53
135. Carrie Fisher, 60
136. Debbie Reynolds, 84

Other notable public figures who died in 2016 include:

1. Nancy Reagan, 94
2. Janet Reno, 78
3. Tom Hayden, 76
4. Youree Dell Harris, 53
5. Fidel Castro, 90
6. Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88
7. Rob Ford, 46
8. Uhmberto Eco, 84
9. John Glenn, 77
10. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, 93
11. Antonin Scalia, 79
12. Edgar Mitchell, 85
13. Dale Bumpers, 90
14. Mike Oxley, 71
15. Mother Mary Angelica, 92