2016 Celebrity Deaths
by John Doe
by John Doe
7 min readThough these famous figures have died, their legacies live on and continue to inspire and delight us. Join us as we remember celebrities who died in 2016.
William Christopher (1932–2016)
Getty Images / CBS
Christopher played beloved character Father Mulcahy on the hit sitcom "M*A*S*H."
View William Christopher's obituary
Debbie Reynolds (1932–2016)
Getty Images / Hulton Archive
The Hollywood legend starred in "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown." Reynolds died one day after her daughter Carrie Fisher.
View Debbie Reynolds' obituary
Carrie Fisher (1956–2016)
Getty Images / Sunset Boulevard
The actress and author will always be remembered for her beloved role as Princess Leia in the "Star Wars" movie franchise.
George Michael (1963–2016)
Getty Images / Michael Putland
The pop superstar sold over 100 million albums. His memorable hit songs include "Careless Whisper" with his group Wham! and "Freedom 90" as a solo artist.
View George Michael's obituary
Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917–2016)
Getty Images / Hulton Archive
Zsa Zsa Gabor was a Hollywood legend and socialite known for her European glamour and her many marriages.
Ricky Harris (1962–2016)
Getty Images / Jerod Harris
The actor and comedian had a recurring role as Malvo on the sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris."
Craig Sager (1951–2016)
Getty Images / Christian Petersen
Sager was a longtime NBA sideline reporter beloved for his colorful attire.
Bernard Fox (1927–2016)
Getty Images / ABC
Fox was a character actor was known for his role as the zany Dr. Bombay on the classic sitcom "Bewitched."
Alan Thicke (1947–2016)
Getty Images / Corbis / Ann Johansson
The Canadian actor and singer-songwriter was best known for playing TV dad Dr. Jason Seaver on the 1980s hit sitcom "Growing Pains."
John Glenn (1921–2016)
NASA
Astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth and later the oldest person to go into space at the age of 77.
Greg Lake (1947–2016)
Getty Images
Lake was guitarist and singer for prog rock band Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Billy Chapin (1943–2016)
Everett Collection
As a child actor, Chapin appeared in many movies and TV series in the 1950s including a memorable role in "The Night of the Hunter."
Andrew Sachs (1930–2016)
Getty Images / Photoshot
The British actor was best known for his role as the Spanish waiter Manuel on the comedy "Fawlty Towers," one of the most popular comedies on the BBC.
Van Williams (1934–2016)
Getty Images / ABC
The actor starred in the 1960s TV series "The Green Hornet" and "Surfside 6."
Margaret Whitton (1950–2016)
Everett Collection / ABC
Whitton starred in the 1980s comedy films "Major League" and "The Secret of My Success."
View Margaret Whitton's obituary
Fritz Weaver (1926–2016)
Getty Images / ABC
Weaver appeared on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and a memorable episode of "The Twilight Zone."
Florence Henderson (1934–2016)
Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Henderson was best-known for the role of Carol Brady, the patient, loving mother on “The Brady Bunch.”
View Florence Henderson's obituary
Ron Glass (1945–2016)
Getty Images / WireImage / Jon Kopaloff
Glass was best known for his work on “Barney Miller” and “Firefly.”
Gwen Ifill (1955–2016)
Getty Images / Frederick M. Brown
The renowned television journalist served as moderator of the PBS talk show “Washington Week.”
Leon Russell (1942–2016)
Getty Images / Redferns / Robert Knight
The rock musician and singer-songwriter played with the Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, and Elton John.
Robert Vaughn (1932–2016)
Getty Images / Silver Screen Collection
Vaughn was best known for his starring role on TV's "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
Leonard Cohen (1934–2016)
Getty Images / AFP / Valery Hache
The poet/singer-songwriter enjoyed a decades-long career with classics such as "Hallelujah" and "Suzanne."
Julie Gregg (1937–2016)
Getty Images / Archive Photos / Frank Edwards
Gregg played Sonny Corleone's wife in the first two "Godfather" movies.
Michael Massee (1955–2016)
Getty Images / WireImage / Albert L. Ortega
Massee starred as the villain "The Gentleman" in the "Amazing Spider-Man" movie and also had a memorable role as Ira Gaines on the first season of "24."
View Michael Massee's obituary
Arnold Palmer (1929–2016)
AP Photo / Tom Gannam
The legendary golfer had a legion of fans following him while he played called "Arnie's Army." Palmer won four Masters titles during his Hall of Fame career.
Jose Fernandez (1992–2016)
Getty Images / Rob Foldy
The Miami Marlins star pitcher was only 24 when he died in a tragic boating accident.
Jean Shepard (1933–2016)
Getty Images / Country Music Hall of Fame / Elmer Williams
Grand Ole Opry regular Jean Shepard was one of the first female country music stars.
Charmian Carr (1942–2016)
Getty Images / WireImage / Tibrina Hobson
Carr will be remembered for her role as Liesl Von Trapp in the movie "The Sound of Music."
Alexis Arquette (1969–2016)
Getty Images / WireImage / SGranitz
The transgender actress had a role in the comedy "The Wedding Singer" and was the sister of actors David, Patricia and Rosanna Arquette.
View Alexis Arquette's obituary
Anna Dewdney (1965–2016)
Getty Images / WireImage / Jumpstart for Young Children / Jason Kempin
The children's book author wrote the popular Llama Llama series. Her last wish went viral: she requested that instead of a funeral service, people read to a child.
Gene Wilder (1933–2016)
AP Photo / Capital Pictures / MediaPunch
The comic actor, known for movies including "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Young Frankenstein," is indelibly associated with many of the funniest films of the 1970s.
Steven Hill (1922–2016)
Getty Images / NBC
Hill was known best for his portrayal of District Attorney Adam Schiff for the first 10 seasons of "Law & Order."
John McLaughlin (1927–2016)
AP Photo / Kevin Wolf
McLaughlin was the host of the PBS political commentary show "The McLaughlin Report."
View John McLaughlin's obituary
Kenny Baker (1934–2016)
Getty Images / Michael Tullberg
The British actor played the role of R2-D2 in "Star Wars."
John Saunders (1955–2016)
Getty Images / Paley Center for Media / Larry Busacca
The versatile sportscaster was a long-time presence on ESPN and ABC. At the time of his death, he was the host of ABC's college football programming.
Jerry Doyle (1956–2016)
Getty Images / Carlo Allegri
Doyle was best known for his role as Michael Garibaldi, chief of space station security, on the sci-fi TV series “Babylon 5".
Gloria DeHaven (1925–2016)
Getty Images
Singer and actress Gloria DeHaven starred in a number of MGM musicals as well as daytime television soap operas.
View Gloria DeHaven's obituary
Garry Marshall (1934–2016)
Getty Images / AFP / Frederic J. Brown
The legendary producer and director created beloved TV sitcoms including "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley," and directed hit movies such as "Pretty Woman."
View Garry Marshall's obituary
Noel Neill (1920–2016)
Getty Images / Silver Screen Collection
The actress was well known for her role as Lois Lane in the classic Superman television series.
Michael Cimino (1939–2016)
AP Photo / Andrew Medichini
Filmmaker Cimino won an Academy Award for directing "The Deer Hunter."
View Michael Cimino's obituary
Elie Wiesel (1928–2016)
AP Photo / Bebeto Matthews
Elie Wiesel turned his tragic personal experiences during the Holocaust into the gripping autobiographical novel "Night." He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986 for his work against violence, repression and racism.
Pat Summitt (1952–2016)
Getty Images / NBC / Paul Drinkwater
TAGS
