2016 - Is it my imagination or is....
Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 1:51 pm
this a year where we have lost an inordinate amount of famous people and it isn't even the end of April yet.
Here is a partial list:
Natalie Cole - singer, niece to Dionne Warwick
Craig Strickland - country singer
Pat Harrington Jr.-Schneider the maintenance man from One Day at a Time.
Otis Clay, soul singer
David Bowie
David Margulies, character actor who played "Ghostbusters" mayor and "Ace Ventura" doctor, died Jan. 11 at 78.
Rene Angelil, husband and manager of Celine Dion, died Jan. 14 of cancer at age 73. The "My Heart Will Go On" singer's brother Daniel Dion died two days later.
Alan Rickman, "Harry Potter" actor and "Die Hard" villain, died of cancer at 69 on Jan. 14.
Dan Haggerty, "Grizzly Adams" actor and '70s star best-known for his beard and rugged looks, died of cancer at 74 on Jan. 15.
Glenn Frey, The Eagles guitarist and co-founder, died at 67 on Jan. 18. Frey co-wrote hits like "Hotel California" with Don Henley.
Jimmy Bain, former Dio and Rainbow bassist
Abe Vigoda of Barney Miller fame
Paul Kantner, Jefferson Airplane co-founder
Signe Anderson, the original Jefferson Airplane singer who was replaced by Grace Slick, died at 74 on Jan. 28, the same day as Kantner.
Frank Finlay, dramatic actor
Joe Alaskey, a voice actor originally from Troy, N.Y., died from cancer at age 63 on Feb. 4. He was the principal voice of multiple Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester
Tweety Bird, after Mel Blanc's death in 1989 and voiced Yosemite Sam in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire
George Gaynes, Commandant Lassard in "Police Academy"
Harper Lee,"To Kill a Mockingbird,"
Sonny James, country singer
Lennie Baker of Sha Na Na
George Kennedy, "Cool Hand Luke" ,"Naked Gun", "Airport" etc. etc.
Tony Warren, creator of "Coronation Street,"
Pat Conroy, author of "The Prince of Tides" and "The Great Santini,"
George Martin, producer for The Beatles
Keith Emerson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Frank Sinatra Jr.
Joe Santos, "The Rockford Files" and "The Sopranos"
Garry Shandling, comedian
Patty Duke, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress
Ronnie Corbett, British comedian and star of "The Two Ronnies,"
Merle Haggard, country musician
Blackjack Mulligan, a former New York Jets player, '70s WWE star and father of pro wrestlers Barry Windham, Kendall Windham and former SU wrestler Mike Rotunda (a.k.a. Irwin R. Schyster or
I.R.S.) and grandfather of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, died April 7 at 73.
Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Remington Steel"
Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, WWE wrestling legend and Rochester native, died April 20 at 46.
Guy Hamilton, director of "Goldfinger" and three more James Bond films
Prince, music legend behind hits "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry," "Batdance," "1999," "Kiss" and others, died April 21 at 57.
Lonnie Mack, blues guitar great who inspired everyone from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa, died April 21 at 74.
And this doesn't include a lot of other talented musicians, writers, trend setters.
Here is a partial list:
Natalie Cole - singer, niece to Dionne Warwick
Craig Strickland - country singer
Pat Harrington Jr.-Schneider the maintenance man from One Day at a Time.
Otis Clay, soul singer
David Bowie
David Margulies, character actor who played "Ghostbusters" mayor and "Ace Ventura" doctor, died Jan. 11 at 78.
Rene Angelil, husband and manager of Celine Dion, died Jan. 14 of cancer at age 73. The "My Heart Will Go On" singer's brother Daniel Dion died two days later.
Alan Rickman, "Harry Potter" actor and "Die Hard" villain, died of cancer at 69 on Jan. 14.
Dan Haggerty, "Grizzly Adams" actor and '70s star best-known for his beard and rugged looks, died of cancer at 74 on Jan. 15.
Glenn Frey, The Eagles guitarist and co-founder, died at 67 on Jan. 18. Frey co-wrote hits like "Hotel California" with Don Henley.
Jimmy Bain, former Dio and Rainbow bassist
Abe Vigoda of Barney Miller fame
Paul Kantner, Jefferson Airplane co-founder
Signe Anderson, the original Jefferson Airplane singer who was replaced by Grace Slick, died at 74 on Jan. 28, the same day as Kantner.
Frank Finlay, dramatic actor
Joe Alaskey, a voice actor originally from Troy, N.Y., died from cancer at age 63 on Feb. 4. He was the principal voice of multiple Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester
Tweety Bird, after Mel Blanc's death in 1989 and voiced Yosemite Sam in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
Maurice White, Earth, Wind & Fire
George Gaynes, Commandant Lassard in "Police Academy"
Harper Lee,"To Kill a Mockingbird,"
Sonny James, country singer
Lennie Baker of Sha Na Na
George Kennedy, "Cool Hand Luke" ,"Naked Gun", "Airport" etc. etc.
Tony Warren, creator of "Coronation Street,"
Pat Conroy, author of "The Prince of Tides" and "The Great Santini,"
George Martin, producer for The Beatles
Keith Emerson, Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Frank Sinatra Jr.
Joe Santos, "The Rockford Files" and "The Sopranos"
Garry Shandling, comedian
Patty Duke, Oscar and Emmy-winning actress
Ronnie Corbett, British comedian and star of "The Two Ronnies,"
Merle Haggard, country musician
Blackjack Mulligan, a former New York Jets player, '70s WWE star and father of pro wrestlers Barry Windham, Kendall Windham and former SU wrestler Mike Rotunda (a.k.a. Irwin R. Schyster or
I.R.S.) and grandfather of Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas, died April 7 at 73.
Doris Roberts, "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Remington Steel"
Joanie "Chyna" Laurer, WWE wrestling legend and Rochester native, died April 20 at 46.
Guy Hamilton, director of "Goldfinger" and three more James Bond films
Prince, music legend behind hits "Purple Rain," "When Doves Cry," "Batdance," "1999," "Kiss" and others, died April 21 at 57.
Lonnie Mack, blues guitar great who inspired everyone from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Joe Bonamassa, died April 21 at 74.
And this doesn't include a lot of other talented musicians, writers, trend setters.