Showbiz stars we lost in 2016
I have been keeping track of celebrity passings for many years, as I have found it helpful for research purposes. My lists are alphabetical by last name and also offer the age at the time of death. So, I can say that yes, it is true – 2016 is THE worst year for celebrity passings thus far.
IMPORTANT NOTE– my list DOES NOT INCLUDE people who are not in showbiz – do not look for John Glenn, Phyllis Schafly, Antonin Scalia, or Fidel Castro. Nancy Reagan is here, but she was a movie actress. This list is film, TV, music, and some sports.
We will start with the veterans who got to live to a ripe old age – people we knew could not live forever but we hated to see go. George Kennedy, Abe Vigoda, George Martin, William Schallert, Nancy Reagan, Hugh O’Brian, Liz Smith, Kay Starr, Ruth Terry, Jerry Tucker, Grant Tinker, Janet Waldo, Joe Garigiola, George Gaynes, Fritz Weaver, Fyvesh Finkel and John Zacherle are among those who left us after reaching or passing the age of 90.
And we had some 100-or-better – Lupita Tovar at 106 is the oldest person to die in 2016, tied with Disney artist Tyrus Wong. Leslie Martinson, Douglas Slocumb, and Irving Fields are among the others to live past the century mark.
There are TV and movie favorites who we recall in their youth and will remain forever young. Noreen Corcoran was the beloved Kelly Gregg on TV’s “Bachelor Father” for five seasons and decades of reruns (but check out the roller skating musical number she did with Donald O’Connor in “I Love Melvin”). Richard Davalos, forever immortalized as the good son, and James Dean’s brother, in “East of Eden.” Teddy Rooney, son of Mickey, and an actor in his own right. And who but Patty Duke could get away with playing “identical cousins” on a hit TV series after making history as the youngest person to net a competitive Oscar (for “The Miracle Worker”). Patty was also President of the Screen Actor’s Guild in the 80s. “The Patty Duke Show” took a real hit, losing Patty, Bill Schallert, and Eddie Applegate all in one year. Bobby Breen, Joan Carroll, Tommy Kelly, and Billy Chapin are other past child stars who said goodbye.
Gene Wilder was always wonderful, from Willie Wonka to Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles to his teamings with Richard Pryor. His marriage to the very funny Gilda Radner, who died so young, was said to be one of the truly happy showbiz pairings. He was from the same area as I am. He left us too soon.
What would our TV past be like without Florence Henderson, dear Mrs. Brady, or Alan Young as Wilbur Post, owner of Mr. Ed? So sad to say goodbye to dingy Vera (Beth Howland), Alan Thicke, TV’s Green Hornet (Van Williams), and Lois Lane (Noel Neill). Her emmy winning role as Ray Romano’s long suffering mother was only a marginal portion of Doris Roberts’ long, successful career.
The heartbreaking loss of Carrie Fisher, followed by her broken hearted mother Debbie Reynolds, overshadowed the fact that Zsa Zsa Gabor died at 99 on the very day her stepson was in a motorcycle accident. He died of his injuries only days later.
The world is less funny without Garry Shandling, Marvin Kaplan, Kevin Meaney, Bob Elliot, Pat Harrington, and Ronnie Corbett. Comedy is an art. It is very difficult to perform. Some people just have a knack for it, be it the standup comedy that Shandling and Meany did to the character played by Kaplan or Harrington.
Sports took away larger-than-life figures like Muhammad Ali and Arnold Palmer, as well as the shocking loss of young Jose Fernandez. Even the wrestling world lost such greats as Black Jack Mulligan and Mr. Fuji.
But it was music that took the biggest hit. David Bowie, Prince, George Michael, both Emerson AND Lake, the aforementioned George Martin, Leonard Cohen, Pete Fountain, Merle Haggard, Maurice White, Glenn Frey, Scotty Moore, Bobby Vee, Glenn Yarbrough, Sonny James, and Sharon Jones are just some of the people who died after making our hearts sing.
And finally, the youngest showbiz person to die in 2016 – singer Christina Grimmie, shot to death while signing autographs for fans. She was only 22 years old. A former star on TV’s “The Voice,” Miss Grimmie never got a chance to offer her full potential and make the impact she might have had she lived longer.
Below is a complete alphabetical list (names and ages) of the many many figures in film, TV, music, and sports to say goodbye to us this year:
Norman Abbott 93
Sir Ken Adam 95
Kathryn Adams 96
Anthony Addabo 56
Carol Aherne 52
Joe Alaskey, 63
Edward Albee 88
Jean Alexander 90
Muhammad Ali 74
Billie Allen, 90
Mose Allison 89
Arthur Anderson, 93
Signe Anderson 74
Sylvia Anderson 88
Lee Andrews 79
Rene Angelil, 73
Eddie Applegate 81
Alexis Arquette 47
Jimmy Bain, 68
Kenny Baker 81
Lennie Baker, 69
Shirley Ballard 90
Gato Barbieri 83
George Barris, 94
Tony Barrow 80
Patricia Barry, 92
Outlaw Don Bass 70
Joseph Bassolino (see Joey Boots)
Terence Bayler 86
Prince Be 46
Brian Bedford, 80
Robert Beecher, 91
Barbara Allyne Bennett 76
Howard Berk 91
Sian Blake 48
Lord James Blears, 93
Maggie Blye, 73
Joey Boots 49
Pierre Boulez, 90
David Bowie, 69
Richard Bradford 81
Bobby Breen 88
Peter Brown, 79
Joy Browne, 71
Pete Burns 57
Tony Burton, 78
Don Calfa 77
Charmain Carr 73
Joan Carroll 85
Lady Chablis, 59
Billy Chapin 72
Irwin Charone 93
Phil Chess 95
William Christopher 84
Chyna, 46
Michael Cimino 77
Guy Clark 74
Leonard Cohen, 82
Rich Conaty 62
Jerry Corbetta 68
Noreen Corcoran 72
Pat Conroy 70
Ronnie Corbett 85
Jerry Corbetta 69
Adrienne Corri, 84
Nicole Courcel 84
Paul Daniels 87
Dick Darley 92
Richard Davalos 85
Jack Davis 91
Kenny Davis 75
Nancy Davis (see Nancy Reagan)
Phife Dawg 45
Gloria DeHaven 91
Dickie Deneut, 84
Douglas Dick 95
James Douglas 86
John Dowell, 76
Larry Drake 66
Alice Drummond 88
Gary Dubin 57
Patty Duke,69
Johnny Duncan, 92
Holly Dunn 59
Ronnie Claire Edwards 83
Bob Elliot, 92
Shawn Elliot, 79
Keith Emerson, 71
Ann Emery 86
Pierre Étaix 87
Valerie Fairman 23
Ronald Falk 80
Mark Farmer, 53
Joey Feek 40
Abel Fernandez 85
Jose Fernandez 24
Kevin Ferguson 42
Irving Fields 101
Fyvush Finkel, 93
Frank Finlay 89
Carrie Fisher 60
Mary Fiumara 88
Tommy Ford 52
Pete Fountain, 86
Don Francks 84
Glenn Frey, 67
Harry Fujiwara (Mr. Fuji) 82
Rad Fulton (see James Westmoreland)
Makiko Futaki, 58
Zsa Zsa Gabor 99
Juan Gabriel 66
Michael Galeota 31
Rita Gam 88
Joe Garagiola 90
Valerie Gaunt 84
Lisa Gaye 81
George Gaynes, 98
Rosemary Gernette 81
Daniel Gerson 49
Sandra Giles 84
Paul Gordon, 53
Archie Gouldie 71
Alexis Grace 27
Gogi Grant 91
Julie Gregg 79
Dale Griffin 67
Tammy Grimes 82
Christina Grimmie 22
Ann Morgan Guilbert 87
Merle Haggard 79
Dan Haggerty 74
Gita Hall 82
Guy Hamilton, 93
Earl Hamner jr. 92
Pat Harrington 86
Curtis Hanson 91
Ricky Harris 54
Cecilia Hart 68
Jeffrey Hayden 90
Tom Hayden 76
William Haze 49
Bridget Hedison 70
Bill Henderson, 90
Florence Henderson 82
Drewe Henley 76
William Herz, 99
Dan Hicks 74
Gill Hill, 84
Steven Hill 94
Arthur Hiller 92
Robert Horton 91
John Hostetter 69
Ken Howard 71
Gordie Howe 88
Beth Howland 74
David Huddleston 85
Gordon Hunt, 87
Bobby Hutcherson 75
George Irving 94
Anne Jackson, 90
Wayne Jackson 75
Sonny James 87
Fran Jeffries 79
Barry Jenner 75
Joan Marie Johnson, 72
Sharon Jones 60
Kitty Kallen, 94
Paul Kantner, 74
Marvin Kaplan 89
Shannon Bolin Kaye, 99
Frank Kelly 77
Tommy Kelly, 90
George Kennedy, 91
Michi Kobi, 91
Burt Kwouk, 85
Greg Lake 69
Julius LaRosa 86
Nick Lashaway, 28
Dick Latessa 87
Joannie Laurer (see Chyna)
Madeline LeBeau 92
Cherylene Lee, 59
Harper Lee, 89
Ron Lester 45
Herschell Gordon Lewis 90
Sagan Lewis 63
Richard Libertini, 82
Gary Loizzo 71
John Loudermilk 82
Lonnie Mack, 74
Balls Mahoney 44
Larkin Malloy 62
David Margulies 78
Don Marshall 80
Garry Marshall 81
George Martin 90
Jeanne Martin, 89
Ricci Martin 62
Leslie H. Martinson 101
Joe Mascolo 87
Michael Massee 61
Lisa Lynn Masters 52
Denise Matthews (see Vanity)
Maylia 90
Gayle McCormick, 67
Henry McCulloch 72
John McMartin 86
Kim McGuire, 60
Julia Meade, 90
Kevin Meaney 60
David Meltzer 78
Nick Menza 51
George Michael 53
Frankie Michaels 61
Ted V. Mikels 87
Kristine Miller, 90
Ned Miller, 90
Mike Minor, 75
Paul Moni 84
Scotty Moore 84
Michèle Morgan 96
Milt Moss, 93
Alphonse Mouzon 68
Black Jack Mulligan, 73
Noel Neill 95
Jinpachi Nezu 69
Marnie Nixon 86
James Noble, 94
Bill Nunn 62
Hugh O’Brian 91
Kevin O’Morrison 100
Arnold Palmer 87
Silvana Pampani, 90
Angela Paton 86
Billy Paul, 80
Dale Paullin 93
Christopher Pearce 73
Conrad Phillips, 80
Prince, 57
Jon Polito 65
Max Prado 23
Angela Raiola (Big Ang) 55
Nancy Reagan 94
Jonathan Rechner (see Balls Mahoney)
Lee “Hawk” Reherman, 49
Debbie Reynolds 84
Bill Richmond 94
Alan Rickman 69
Jack Riley 80
Brian Rix 92
Doris Roberts, 90
Teddy Rooney 66
Bryan Russell 63
Leon Russell 74
Andrew Sachs, 86
Morley Safer, 84
Craig Sager 65
Theresa Saldana, 61
Joe Santos, 84
William Schallert, 93
Earl Schuman 100
Angus Scrimm, 89
Garry Shandling 66
Iron Mike Sharpe 64
Jean Shepherd (83)
Madeline Sherwood 93
Frank Sinatra Jr 71
Iva Franks Singer 54
Kimbo Slice (see Kevin Ferguson)
Douglas Slocumbe, 103
Liz Smith 95
David Smyrl, 80
Bud Spencer 86
David Spielberg, 77
John Stabb, 54
James Stacy 80
Ralph Stanley 89
Kay Starr 94
Angela Stevens 90
Robert Stigwood, 81
Erin Storm 41
Cindy Stowell 41
David Swift 85
Vilmos Szigmond 85
William Tankersley, 98
Gordy Tapp 94
Barbara Tarbuck 74
Ron Temperton 66
Ruth Terry 96
Alan Thicke 69
Gareth Thomas 71
Lupita Tovar 106
Richard Trentlage, 87
Kathryn Tropser 99
Jerry Tucker 91
Barbara Turner, 79
Grant Tinker 90
Pat Upton 75
Jimmy Van Zant, 59
Vanity, 57
Peter Vaughan 93
Robert Vaughn 83
Colin Vearncombe, 53
Bobby Vee 73
Alan Vega, 78
Abe Vigoda, 94
Janet Waldo 96
Fritz Weaver 90
James Westmoreland 80
Tom Whedon 83
Maurice White 74
Margaret Whitton 66
Lyn Wilde, 93
Gene Wilder 83
George Wildman, 88
Allan Williams 86
Van Williams 82
Douglas Wilmer
Bob Windham (see Black Jack Mulligan)
Keo Woolford 49
Tyrus Wong 106
Victoria Wood, 62
Bernie Worrell 72
Tera Wray 33
Janet Wright 71
Martha Wright 92
Glenn Yarbrough 86
Anton Yelchin 27
Alan Young 96
John Zacherle 98
Aleksandra Zavyalova, 80