2016 has been a rough year for news with the Zika Virus scare, the Black Lives Matter campaign, and the election, but recently, a topic of major focus has revolved around the abundance of celebrity deaths that occurred in 2016.
The following is a month-by-month listing of celebrities' deaths and their impact on the world:
January
January 5, French composer and conductor, Pierre Boulez died at the age of 90.
January 6, voice, television, and stage actor, Pat Harrington Jr. died at the age of 86.
January 7, singer, Kitty Kallen died at the age of 94.
January 10, singer, songwriter, and actor, David Bowie died at age of 69.
On January 11, baseball player of the teams the Negro Leagues, the New York Giants, and the Chicago Cubs, Monte Irvin died at the age of 96.
On January 14, stage and screen actor and director, Alan Rickman died at the age of 69.
On January 15, actor, Dan Haggerty died at the age of 74.
On January 17, drummer, Dale "Buffin" Griffin died at the age of 67.
On January 18, singer, songwriter, and actor, Glenn Frey died at the age of 67.
On January 24, congnitive scientist, Marvin Minsky died at the age of 88.
On January 26, actor and comedian, Abe Vigoda died at the age of 94.
On January 28, guitarist and singer, Paul Kantner died at the age of 74.
February
On February 2, actor and comedian, Bob Elliott died at the age of 92.
On February 4, singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, arranger and bandleader, Maurice White died at the age of 74.
On February 4, NASA astronaut, Edgar Mitchell died at the age of 85.
On February 13, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Antonin Gregory Scalia died at the age of 79.
On February 15, singer, actor, voice artist, and comedian,George Gaynes died at the age of 98.
On February 16, Egyptian, 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations,Boutros Boutros-Ghali died at the age of 93.
On February 19, Italian novelist, Umberto Eco died at the age of 84.
On February 19, author of the widely-known To Kill a Mocking Bird, along with many other novels, Harper Lee died at the age of 89.
On February 22, country music singer, Sonny James died at the age of 87.
On February 24, Saxophonist and vocalist, Lennie Baker died at the age of 69.
On February 28, actor, George Kennedy died at the age of 91.
March
On March 4, novelist, Pat Conroy at the age of 70.
On March 4, tennis commentator and journalist, Bud Collins died at the age of 86.
On March 6, actress and wife of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, Nancy Reagan died at the age of 94.
On March 8, musical producer for "The Beatles," George Martin died at the age of 90.
On March 9, actor and singer, Robert Horton died at the age of 91.
On March 10, musician and composer, Keith Emerson died at the age of 71.
On March 16, bandleader, singer, and actor, Frank Sinatra, Jr. died at the age of 72.
On March 17, actor, Larry Drake died at the age of 66.
On March 18, film and television actor, Joe Santos died at the age of84.
On March 22, lyricist, Phife Dawg died at the age of 45.
On March 23, professional baseball catcher, Joe Garagiola died at the age of 90.
On March 23, actor, Ken Howard died at the age of 71.
On March 24, television writer and producer, Earl Hamner, Jr. died at the age of 92.
On March 24, comedian, actor, writer, and producer, Garry Shandling died at the age of 66.
On March 28, actor, James Noble died at the age of 94.
On March 29, stage, film, and television actress, Patty Duke died at the age of 69.
April
On April 6, country music singer and musician, Merle Haggard died at the age of 79.
On April 17, actress, author, and philanthropist, Doris Roberts died at the age of 90.
On April 20, pro-wrestler, Chyna died at the age of 46.
On April 20, actress, singer, screenwriter, and director, Victoria Wood died at the age of 63.
On April 20, NBA player, Dwayne "Pearl" Washington died at the age of 52.
On April 21, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, Prince died at the age of 57.
May
On May 8, actor, William Schallert died at the age of 93.
On May 19, broadcast journalist, reporter, and correspondent for CBS News,Morley Safer died at the age of 84.
On May 19, actor, voice actor, comedian and radio and television host/personality, Alan Young died at the age of 96.
On May 24, actor Burt Kwouk died at the age of 85.
June
On June 3, boxer, Muhammad Ali died at the age of 74.
On June 6, chess grandmaster and writer, Viktor Korchnoi died at the age of 85.
On June 6, actress, Theresa Saldana died at the age of 61.
On June 6, playwright and screenwriter, Peter Shaffer died at the age of 90.
On June 10, NHL hockey player, Gordie Howe died at the age of 88.
On June 12, former governor of Ohio and United States Senator, George Voinovich died at the age of 79.
On June 12, radio and voice actress, Janet Waldo died at the age of 96.
On June 14, television and film actess, Ann Morgan Guilbert died at the age of 87.
On June 19, actor Anton Yelchin died at the age of 27.
On June 23, Bluegrass icon, Ralph Stanley died at the age of 89.
On June 27, author, Alvin Toffler died at the age of 87.
On June 28, women's American college basketball head coach,Pat Summitt died at the age of 64.
On June 28, NFL football coach, Buddy Ryan died at the age of 85.
July
On July 2, film director, screenwriter, producer and author, Michael Cimino died at the age of 77.
On July 2, Holocaust survivor, writer, professor, political activist, and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel died at the age of 87.
On July 3, actress, Noel Neill died at the age of 95.
On July 9, correspondent for The New York Times, Sydney H. Schanberg died at the age of 82.
On July 19, actor, director, producer, writer, and voice artist, Garry Marshall died at the age of 81.
On July 22, ex-head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, Dennis Green died at the age of 67.
On July 24, singer and film playback singer, Marni Nixon died at the age of 86.
On July 30, actress and singer, Gloria DeHaven died at the age of 91.
August
On August 2, actor, David Huddleston died at the age of 85.
On August 6, jazz clarinetist, Pete Fountain died at the age of 86.
On August 11, folk singer, Glenn Yarbrough died at the age of 86.
On August 13, actor and musician, Kenny Baker died at the age of 81.
On August 14, actor, Fyvush Finkel died at the age of 93.
On August 16, NBA player, Nate Thurmond died at the age of 74.
On August 16, television personality and political commentator, John McLaughlin died at the age of 89.
On August 17, television and film director, Arthur Hiller died at the age of 92.
On August 19, actor and comedian, Jack Riley died at the age of 80.
On August 23, actor, Steven Hill died at the age of 94.
On August 28, film and theater comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author, Gene Wilder died at the age of 83.
On September 5, American constitutional lawyer and conservative activist, Phyllis Schlafly died at the age of 92.
On September 5, actor and humanitarian, Hugh O'Brian died at the age of 91.
On September 9, film and television actor, James Stacy died at the age of 79.
On September 16, playwright, Edward Albee died at the age of 88.
On September 16, novelist and short-story writer, W.P. Kinsella died at the age of 81.
On September 17, actress and singer, Charmian Carr died at the age of 73.
On September 25, professional golfer, Arnold Palmer died at the age of 87.
On September 28, former prime minister of Israel, Shimon Peres died at the age of 93.
October
On October 2, British violinist and orchestra conductor, Neville Marriner died at the age of 92.
On October 13, playwright and Nobel Prize recipient, Dario Fo died at the age of 90.
On October 13, King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej died at the age of 88.
On October 15, former NFL defense linemen, Dennis Byrd died at the age of 51.
On October 23, American social and political activist, author and politician, Tom Hayden died at the age of 76.
On October 24, pop singer, Bobby Vee died at the age of 73.
November
On November 3, jazz, pop, and country singer, Kay Starr died at the age of 94.
On November 7, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, and painter, Leonard Cohen died at the age of 82.
On November 7, former US Attorney General, Janet Reno died at the age of 78.
On November 11, actor, Robert Vaughn died at the age of 83.
On November 14, former news anchor on the PBS NewsHour, Gwen Ifill died at the age of 61.
On November 15, country music singer, Holly Dunn died at the age of59.
On November 16, former US Secretary of Defense, Melvin Laird died at the age of 94.
On November 18, soul and funk singer, Sharon Jones died at the age of 60.
On November 23, former Brooklyn Dodgers baseball pitcher, Ralph Branca died at the age of 90.
On November 23, actor, Andrew Sachs died at the age of 86.
On November 24, singer and actress, Florence Henderson died at the age of 82.
On November 25, former president of Cuba and the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro died at the age of 90.
On November 25, actor, Ron Glass died at the age of 71.
On November 26, stage, television, and film actor, Fritz Weaver died at the age of 90.
On November 28, actor, Van Williams died at the age of 82.
On November 29, television executive, and former CEO and Chairman of NBC, Grant Tinker died at the age of 90.
December
On December 3, physician, diver and American Olympic gold medal winner, Sammy Lee died at the age of 96.
On December 6, actor, Peter Vaughan died at the age of 93.
On December 7, bassist, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer,Greg Lake died at the age of 69.
On December 8, aviator, engineer, astronaut, and United States Senator from Ohio, John Glenn died at the age of 95.
On December 13, actor, songwriter, and host, Alan Thicke died at the age of 69.
On December 14, Welsh actor, Bernard Fox died at the age of 89.
On December 15, NBA reporter, Craig Sager, died at the age of 65.
On December 17, former Canadian Football League running back, Lou Harris died at the age of 95.
On December 17, thoracic surgeon, medical researcher, and inventor of the Heimlich maneuver,Henry Heimlich died at the age of 96.
On December 18, actress and socialite, Zsa Zsa Gabor died at the age of 99.
On December 21, the creator of the Red Solo Cup, Robert Hulseman died at the age of 84.
On December 24, author, Richard Adams died at the age of 96.
On December 25, singer, George Michael died at the age of 53.
On December 25, 64 singers from the Russian choir"Alexandrov Military Ensemble " died in a plane crash.
On December 26, actor and comedian, Ricky Harris died at the age of 54.
On December 27, actress, writer, producer, and humorist, Carrie Fisher died at the age of 60.
On December 27, actor, George S. Irving died at the age of 94.
On December 28, actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian, Debbie Reynolds died at the age of 84.
Let's hope 2017 is a better year!
