In the past twelve months a lot has happened, most of it unexpected. The death toll hit us hard. From political figures, all the way to rock legends, we lost some of our most cherished house hold names.

Here is a list of many of the “celebrities” we lost this year:

David Bowie - singer, songwriter and actor died two days after his 69^th birthday from liver cancer.

Harper Lee – writer of the novel To Kill A Mockingbird died in her sleep at age 89.

Fidel Castro – Cuban Prime Minister died at age 90. The cause of death was never released.

Prince - American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer died at age 57 from a fentanyl overdose

John Glenn – former astronaut and US senator died at age 95 no cause of death was disclosed

Carrie Fisher - American actress, writer, producer, and humorist died at age 60. A cause of death has yet to be determined.

Antonin Scalia – Supreme Court Justice died of natural causes at the age of 79.

Muhammad Ali – professional boxer and activist died at age 74 from septic shock

Arnold Palmer – professional golfer died while awaiting cardiac surgery at age 87

George Michael - singer, songwriter, and record producer died at age 53. The autopsy results came back as inconclusive

Gene ilder – film and theater comic actor, screenwriter, film director, and author dies at age 83 from Alzheimer’s complications

Nancy Regan – actress and first lady dies at age 94 from congestive heart failure

Debbie Reynolds - actress, singer, businesswoman, film historian, and humanitarian dies at 84 from a stroke. Reports say it was caused by a “broken heart.”

Alan Rickman – actor and director from pancreatic cancer at age 69

Elie Wiesel - Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor dies at 87 from old age.

José Fernández – Miami Marlins head pitcher dies at age 27 from fatal boat crash.

All of these people are survived by their fans and the careers which brought them into our lives and into our hearts.