The trinity of deaths of rock icon David Bowie, beloved actor Alan Rickman and Glenn Frey of the Eagles in early January shocked the world, and the hits just kept coming in 2016: Prince on April 21 from an accidental overdose of a powerful painkiller; boxing’s “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali on June 3 from complications from Parkinson’s; not to mention actor Gene Wilder , novelist Harper Lee, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, and, in an end-of-the-year gut punch, the passings of “Star Wars” icon Carrie Fisher and her mother, “Singin’ in the Rain” star Debbie Reynolds , a day apart.
Category: The Greatest
Ali’s death, memories it stirred voted Kentucky’s top story
It was a send-off befitting The Greatest. And the world watched the drama play out in Muhammad Ali’s hometown, where admirers lined streets to toss cascades of flowers onto his hearse, and a star-studded lineup memorialized him inside an arena.
Celebrity deaths of 2016: The stars we said farewell to this year
They ranged from comic Ronnie Corbett, 85 famous for his “goodbye from him” catchphrase on The Two Ronnies to “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali, 74. Frank Kelly, 77, who played Father Jack in the hit comedy Father Ted, died in February, as did To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee, 89. March saw the deaths of Paul Daniels, 77, football hero Johan Cruyff, 68, Beatles producer George Martin, 90, and Corbett. August saw the deaths of Hollywood legend Gene Wilder, 83 famous for Willy Wonka and Kenny Baker, 81, the man behind Star Wars robot R2D2.