Taking Its Toll: 2016 Was a Brutal Year for Celebrity Deaths

As 2016 draws to a close, plenty of TV and movie fans are glad to see it go, given how many big-name celebrities have passed away since last January. There is, however, a chorus of naysayers who point out that lots of celebrities die every year, and 2016 was no different. Is it true, then, that the last calendar year took more stars than usual away from us?

In short, yes, it's true. Yes, every year dozens of people you might have heard of pass away, but 2016 was atypical in the number of deaths of celebrities who created iconic roles or had otherwise been at the top of their fields.

The year was particularly hard on legends of the music world, and more than one of those musical stars had a big impact on the film world, too. Prince was one of the biggest pop stars in history, but he also made big-screen history with Purple Rain. David Bowie was a music superstar, but he was also an accomplished actor, appearing in films such as Labyrinth. Glenn Frey co-founded the Eagles, but he also had a high-profile stint on Miami Vice.

The year claimed some straight-up movie stars, including Gene Wilder,  Alan Rickman and the rising star Anton Yelchin. The ranks of sitcom stars were thinned, too, with the loss of Florence Henderson, Alan Thicke, Patty Duke, Abe Vigoda, Doris Roberts, Ron Glass, Garry Shandling, and more.

And, of course, the Star Wars galaxy marks 2016 as the year it lost both Carrie Fisher and Kenny Baker, the actor who helped bring R2-D2 to life.

All of this overlooks dozens more actors, musicians and sports stars whose roles were smaller but who will be missed, as well.

So if anyone tries to convince you that 2016 was a year like any other, there's no need to believe them.