We lost some very inspiring people in the year that is wrapping up and at Christmas time it is important to stop and remember them. So today we’re taking a look back at those we lost this year.
Zsa Zsa Gabor – Born as Sári Gábor, February 6, 1917
Alan Thicke – Born as Alan Willis JeffreyMarch 1, 1947
Gene Wilder – Born as Jerome Silberman June 11, 1933
Florence Henderson – Born as Florence Agnes Henderson February 14, 1934 (AKA Carol Brady)
Muhammad Ali – Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. January 17, 1942
Doris Roberts – Born as Doris May Green November 4, 1925
Patty Duke – Born as Anna Marie Duke December 14, 1946
Nancy Reagan – Born as Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921
Glenn Frey – Born as Glenn Lewis Frey; November 6, 1948
Alan Rickman – Born as Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman 21 February 1946
David Bowie – Born as David Robert Jones 8 January 1947
Noel Neill – Born as Noel Darleen Neill November 25, 1920
Prince – Born as Prince Rogers Nelson June 7, 1958
JANUARY
04 – Robert Stigwood, Entertainment Manager – managed the Bee Gees and Cream – age 81
06 – Pat Harrington Jr., Actor – Schneider on “One Day at a Time” – age 86
07 – Troy Shondell, Singer – only big hit was “This Time (We’re Really Breaking Up)” – age 76
07 – Kitty Kallen, Singer – Big Band Era, biggest hit was ‘”Little Things Mean a Lot” – age 94
08 – David Bowie, Musician – (2) time Grammy winner influenced music and culture for four generations – age 69
11 – David Margulies, Actor – the Mayor in Ghost Busters I and II (1984 & 1989)- age – 78
14 – Alan Rickman, Actor – Hans Gruber in ‘Die Hard’ and Severus Snape in ‘Harry Potter’ – age 69
14 – René Angélil, Singer / Manager – husband and manager of Celine Dion – age 73
15 – Dan Haggerty, Actor – The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams – age 74
15 – Noreen Corcoran, Actress – Kelly Gregg in Bachelor Father (1957-59) – age 72
18 – Glen Frey, Singer / Songwriter – founded The Eagles “Take It Easy”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” – age 67
26 – Abe Vigoda, Actor – Detective Fish on Barney Miller (1975-’77) – age 94
28 – Paul Kantner, Singer / Songwriter – co-founder of The Jefferson Airplane – age 74
28 – Mike Minor, Actor – Steve Eliot on “Petticoat Junction” – age 75
FEBRUARY
02 – Bob Elliot, Comedian – one-half of the comedy duo of Bob and Ray – age 92
03 – Maurice White, Musician / songwriter – founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire – age 74
03 – Joe Alaskey, Voice Actor – Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester, Tweety – age 63
04 – Joe Dowell, Pop Singer – #1 hit song “Wooden Heart” (1961) – age 76
13 – Antonin Scalia, Supreme Court Justice – appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1986 – age 79
15 – George Gaynes, Actor – Commandant Eric Lassard on the Police Academy series – age 98
19 – Harper Lee, Novelist – Pulitzer Prize for fiction (1961) for novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” – age 89
22 – Yolande Fox, Singer – Miss America 1951 and sang opera – age 87
22 – Sonny James, Country Music Singer/Songwriter – the first teenage country crossover #1 single “Young Love” – age 87
24 – Lennie Baker, Musician – 1950s music tribute group and TV show Sha-Na-Na (1969-2000) – age 69
25 – Tony Burton, Actor – boxing trainer to Apollo Creed and later Rocky in six “Rocky” movies – age 78
28 – George Kennedy, Actor – Academy Award for “Cool Hand Luke” also in all the “Airport” movies – age 91
29 – Gil Hill, Police Commander/Actor – Inspector Todd in three “Beverly Hills Cop” movies – age 84
MARCH
04 – Joey Martin Feek, C&W Muscian – husband and wife country duo “Joey + Rory” – age 40
06 – Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the U.S.(1981-1989) Husband, 40th President Ronald Reagan – age 94
08 – Sir George Martin, Producer for the “Beatles” albums, known as “The Fifth Beatle” – age 90
09 – Robert Horton, Actor – Flint McCullough in “Wagon Train” (1957-1962) – age 91
10 – Keith Emerson, Musician / keyboardist – created Emerson, Lake & Palmer rock group – age 71
13 – Adrienne Corri, Actress – Mrs. Alexander in A Clockwork Orange (1971) – age 85
16 – Frank Sinatra Jr., Singer – son of Frank Sinatra and a talented singer – age 72
17 – Larry Drake, Actor – Benny Stulwicz on L.A. Law (1987-1994) – age 66
18 – Joe Santos, Actor – Lieutenant Dennis Becker on The Rockford Files (1974-1980) – age 84
21 – Peter Brown, Actor – Deputy Johnny McKay in “Lawman” (1958-62) and Chad Cooper in “Laredo”(1965-67) – age 80
22 – Rob Ford, Politician – crack smoking Mayor of Toronto, Canada – age 46
22 – Richard Bradford, Actor – “Man in a Suitcase” on British ITC (1967) – age 81
22 – Phife Dawg, Singer – Rapper with the group A Tribe Called Quest, also known as “Five Foot Assassin” – age 45
23 – Joe Garagiola, Baseball Player – MLB catcher and announcer and television host – age 90
23 – Ken Howard, Actor – Coach Reeves on TV show “White Shadow” & President of SAG-AFTRA – age 71
24 – Earl Hamner, Jr., Writer/Producer – created “The Waltons” TV show – age 92
24 – Garry Shandling, Comedian – “Garry Shandling Show” and “The Larry Sanders” Show – age 66
27 – Mother Angelica, Franciscan Nun – founder of Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) – age 92
28 – James Noble, Actor – Governor Gatling on “Benson” (1979-1986) – age 94
29 – Patty Duke, Actress – played identical cousins in “The Patty Duke Show” (1963-1966) – age 69
APRIL
06 – Merle Haggard, C&W singer/songwriter – “I’m a Lonesome Fugitive”, “Okie From Muskogee” – age 79
12 – Anne Jackson, Actress – married to Eli Wallach who died in 2014 – age 90
17 – Doris Roberts, Actress – Marie Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond” (1996–2005) – age 90
21 – Prince, Musician – flamboyant on stage, seven Grammy Awards, “Purple Rain” – age 57
21 – Lonnie (Mack) McIntosh, Guitarist – pioneered the ‘lead guitar solo’, “Wham!” & “Memphis” – age 74
23 – Madeleine Sherwood, Actress – Reverend Mother Placido in “The Flying Nun” (1967-70) – age 94
24 – Billy Paul, Singer – Grammy Award for “Me and Mrs. Jones” (1972) – age 81
MAY
08 – William Schallert, Actor – Martin Lane (Patty’s Father) on The Patty Duke Show – age 93
12 – Julius La Rosa, Singer – “Anywhere I Wander” fired by Arthur Godfrey on the air – age 86
19 – Morley Safer, Journalist – CBS News for 52 years (1964-2016), 60 Minutes for 46 years (1970-2016) won 12 Emmy Awards – age 84
19 – Alan Young, Actor – Wilbur Post on “Mr. Ed” (1961-66) – age 96
27 – Mike Barnett, Singer – co-founder of the singing group “The Lettermen” – age 89
JUNE
03 – Muhammad Ali, Professional Boxer – (formerly Cassius Clay) three time heavyweight champion (1964, 1974, and 1978), proclaimed “The Greatest” – age 74
10 – Gordie Howe, Hockey player – Detroit Red Wings for 25 seasons, 23-time NHL All-Star – age 88
13 – Michu Meszaros, Actor / Circus Performer – was the man in the ALF costume (ALF TV Show 1986-1990) – age 76
14 – Ann Guilbert, Actress – Millie Helper in The Dick Van Dyke Show and Yetta Rosenberg in The Nanny – age 87
14 – Ronnie Claire Edwards, Actress – Corabeth Walton Godsey on The Waltons (1972-81) – age 83
17 – Ron Lester, Actor – Billy Bob in movie “Varsity Blues” – age 45
19 – Anton Yelchin, Actor – Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek movies (2009-16) – age 27
27 – Mack Rice, Song writer – “Mustang Sally” & “Respect Yourself” – age 82
28 – Scotty Moore, Guitarist – backed Elvis in early recordings and pioneered new styles – age 84
28 – Buddy Ryan, NFL Football Coach – while defensive coordinator for Chicago Bears invented the 46 defense – age 85
28 – Pat Summitt, NCAA Basketball Coach – University of Tennessee Woman’s team (1974 – 2012) the winningest NCAA coach ever – age 64
JULY
02 – Michael Cimino, Writer/Director – “Deer Hunter”, “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” – age 77
02 – Elie Wiesel, Jewish Writer/political activist – Holocaust survivor, and Nobel Laureate – age 87
02 – Teddy Rooney, Actor/Musician – son of Mickey Rooney and Martha Vickers – age 66
03 – Noel Neill, Actress – Lois Lane in “Adventures of Superman” (1952-58) – age 95
06 – Danny Smythe, Musician – founding member of the Box Tops (Devilles) “The Letter” (1967) – age 67
16 – Bonnie Brown, C&W Muscian – family musical group The Browns “The Three Bells” – age 77
19 – Garry Marshall, Writer/Producer/Actor – created “Happy Days”, “Mork & Mindy”, “Laverne & Shirley” – age 81
27 – Jerry Doyle, Actor – Michael Garibaldi in “Babylon 5” (1994–98) – age 60
30 – Gloria DeHaven, Actress/Singer – “So This Is Paris”, “The Girl Rush” – age 91
AUGUST
02 – David Huddleston, Actor – Character actor “Santa Claus: The Movie” – age 85
03 – Ricci Martin, Entertainer – son of Dean Martin – age 62
06 – Pete Fountain, Jazz Musician – played with both Al Hirt and Lawrence Welk – age 86
11 – Glenn Yarbrough, Singer – The Limeliters (1959-63) “Baby the Rain Must Fall” – age 86
13 – Michel Richard, Chef/Restaurateur – restaurant Citrus in L.A. and 5 other cities – age 68
13 – Kenny Baker, Actor – played R2-D2 in the Star Wars franchise also played Paploo, the Ewok – age 81
14 – Fyvush Finkel, Actor – lawyer Douglas Wambaugh on “Picket Fences” – age 93
19 –Jack Riley, Actor – Elliot Carlin on “The Bob Newhart Show” – age 80
23 – Steven Hill, Actor – District Attorney Adam Schiff on “Law & Order” (1990-2000) – age 94
25 – Jeanne Martin, Model – Orange Bowl Queen (1947) & Dean Martin’s wife – age 89
25 – Marvin Kaplan, Actor – telephone worker Henry on the TV show “Alice” – age 89
29 – Gene Wilder, Actor – Blazing Saddles (1974), Young Frankenstein, Willy Wonka – age 83
SEPTEMBER
01 – Jon Polito, Actor – Steve Crosetti on “Homicide: Life on the Street” – age 65
06 – Hugh O’Brian, Actor – starred in TV series “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp” (1955–1961) – age 91
09 – James Stacy, Actor – Johnny Madrid Lancer on “Lancer” (1968-’70) – age 79
17 – Charmian Carr, Actress – Liesl Von Trapp (eldest daughter) in The Sound of Music – age 73
24 – Bill Nunn, Actor – Robbie Robertson in Spider-Man film trilogy – age 63
25 – Jean Shepard, C&W Singer/Songwriter – Pioneered C&W for women, “A Dear John Letter” – 82
25 – José Fernández, Baseball player – starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins and Cuban refugee – age 24
25 – Arnold Palmer, Golfer – One of the greatest golfers ever, did more to popularize the sport than any other golfer – age 87
28 – Shimon Peres, Statesman – President of Israel (2007-’14), Prime Minister twice, held various offices from 1959-2007 – age 93
OCTOBER
21 – Kevin Meaney, Comedian – “Uncle Buck” in the TV series by the same name – age 60
24 – Bobby Vee, Singer – “Take Good Care of My Baby”, “The Night Has a Thousand Eyes” – age 73
30 – Tammy Grimes, Stage Actress – Molly in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” – age 82
NOVEMBER
03 – Kay Starr, Singer – “Wheel of Fortune” and “The Rock And Roll Waltz” – age 94
07 – Janet Reno, Attorney General of the United States 1993-2001 nominated by President Bill Clinton – age 78
07 – Leonard Cohen, Poet / Songwriter – “Suzanne”, “Hallelujah” and “Bird on the Wire” – age 82
11 – Robert Vaughn, Actor – Napoleon Solo in “The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964-’68) – age 83
13 – Leon Russell, Musician / Songwriter – “A Song for You”, “Tight Rope” and “This Masquerade” – age 74
14 – Gwen Ifill, Journalist – “Washington Week” and “PBS NewsHour” on PBS – age 61
15 – Holly Dunn, C&W Singer / Songwriter – “Are You Ever Gonna Love Me” and “You Really Had Me Going” – age 59
24 – Florence Henderson, Actress / Singer – Carol Brady on “The Brady Bunch” (1969 to 1974) – age 82
25 – Fidel Castro, Dictator – Prime Minister then President of Cuba from 1959-2008 then gave same powers to his brother – age 90
25 – Ron Glass, Actor – Det. Ron Harris on “Barney Miller” (1975-1982) – age 71
26 – Fritz Weaver, Actor – Dr. Josef Weiss in the mini series “Holocaust” – age 90
28 – Van Williams, Actor – Kenny Madison in “Bourbon Street Beat” (1959) & “Surfside 6” (1960) – age 82
28 – Jim Delligatti, McDonald’s franchisee – created The Big Mac – age 98
30 – Keo Woolford, Actor – Det. Chang on Hawaii Five-0 (2010 version) – age 49
30 – Grant Tinker, Television executive – Chairman and CEO of NBC (1981-’86) married to Mary Tyler Moore (1962-’81) – age 90
DECEMBER
03 – Don Calfa, Actor – Paulie the hitman in “Weekend at Bernie’s” (1989) – age 76
03 – Billy Chapin, Actor – Little John Harper in “The Night of the Hunter” (1955) – age 72
07 – Greg Lake, Musician – founding member of Emerson, Lake & Palmer “Lucky Man” – age 69
08 – Joseph Mascolo, Actor – Stefano DiMera on “The Days of Our Lives” (1982-’85) & (1993-2001) – age 87
08 – John Glenn, WWII & Korean War Fighter Pilot. Marine Colonel. NASA Astronaut. Senator from Ohio (1974-99). Married for 73 yrs – first American to orbit the Earth (1962) – age 95
12 – Jim Lowe, Singer – biggest hit “The Green Door” (1956) – age 93
13 – Alan Thicke, Actor – Jason Seaver, the father on “Growing Pains” (1985-’92) – age 69
14 – Bernard Fox, Actor – Dr. Bombay in “Bewitched” and Colonel Crittendon in “Hogan’s Heroes” – age 89
15 – Craig Sager, Sports Reporter – best known for covering the NBA and for his loud suits – age 65
18 – Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian Actress and Socialite – Moulin Rouge (1952), married nine times to mostly wealthy men – age 99
18 – Gordie Tapp, Entertainer – wrote and acted on “Hee Haw” – age 94
20 –Michèle Morgan, French Actress – Joan of Paris (1942), Higher and Higher (1943) – age 96