Most of us can agree that 2016 has been a pretty rotten year. Tension, tragedy and strife have loomed large and unfortunately, we’ve also lost an indordinate amount of actors, authors, musicians and artists. As we go into 2017, let’s remember their wonderful contributions to sci-fi,fantasy and the world at large and make their legacies shine bright. Here’s hoping for less loss next year. Rest in peace, everyone. Here are 13 beloved artists and entertainers we lost in 2016:
Carrie Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016)
Wildly funny, opinionated, and intelligent, Carrie Fisher was a shining star who never apologized for who she was. Carrie was best known for playing Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. She made Leia an unforgettable character, giving her toughness and dynamism that made her a sci-fi icon.
But acting wasn’t Carrie’s only talent. She was also a witty and prolific author. She wrote several novels based loosely on her own life. One of these was Postcards from the Edge, which told the story of an actress getting her life together after a drug overdose. This book was successful enough that it was made into a movie starring Meryl Streep. Carrie wrote the movie’s screenplay.
She also wrote and performed the one-woman Broadway Show, Wishful Drinking, which was autobiographical. She later adapted it into a novel. She wrote several other autobiographies, the latest of which was The Princess Diarist, an account based on the diaries she kept while filming the Star Wars trilogy. Carrie was also a script doctor, which meant she would fix up dialogue and jokes and so on on scripts for TV and movies anonymously. She’s done doctoring for both Joss Whedon and Quentin Tarantino and she got her start fixing up her dialogue in Star Wars.
In addition to her success as an actor and creator, Carrie was known for being a fierce mental health advocate. She openly discussed both her bipolar disorder and her struggle with drug addiction. She received the Annual Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Awarding Cultural Humanism in Harvard and it was stated that "her forthright activism and outspokenness about addiction, mental illness and agnosticism have advanced public discourse on these issues with creativity and empathy.”
Carrie was also known for her sharp sense of humor and biting honesty. She never held back when she talked about the trials she faced in Hollywood, snarking about everything from the pressure on her to lose weight to George Lucas’s poor understanding of bras. She related a story where he told her she couldn’t wear a bra as Princess Leia. He said there was no underwear in space and that because of zero-gravity, her body would expand but her bra wouldn’t, meaning she’d be strangled by her own bra. She wrote in Wishful Drinking “I think this would make for a fantastic obit. So I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra”. And so we shall report it. We salute you, Carrie Fisher.
To learn more about Carrie Fisher, see 6 Amazing Facts about Carrie Fisher and 9 Reasons We Love Carrie Fisher.
Gene Wilder (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016)
Gene Wilder- whose real name was Jerome Silberman- was an actor, screenwriter, director and author. Gene was known best for having an impeccable sense of comedy. His most memorable roles include the titular Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Jim in Blazing Saddles and Dr. Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein. He also directed and wrote several of his own films, including The Woman in Red and See No Evil Hear No Evil.
He wrote several moving memoirs, including Gilda’s Disease: Sharing a Personal Experience and Medical Perspective on Ovarian Cancer, which chronicled his wife Gilda Radner’s stuggle with cancer. After her death, Gene worked to promote cancer awareness and treatment, founding the Gilda Radner Ovarian Cancer Detection Center and co-founding Gilda’s Club, a community for people living with cancer. He wrote several novels, the most recent of which was Something to Remember You By.
Gene died from complications with Alzheimer’s disease. He kept his condition private because he didn’t want to sadden his fans. He’ll always be remembered as someone who bought laughter into our hearts.
Alan Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was
Alan Rickman was an actor and director who worked on both stage and screen. Starting out as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Alan went on to take on several notable roles in televisions and film, including Hans Gruber in Die Hard. His best known fantasy role was that of Severus Snape in Harry Potter, which sent shiver up many a spine. He was also in movies like Galaxy Quest. After he died of pancreatic cancer, he was remembered as a wonderful mentor and man by his friends and colleagues.
David Bowie (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016)
David Bowie was an acclaimed singer, songwriter and actor. He was incredibly influential in the music world and was one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. He released over 25 albums and was known for his visual and musical experimentation. He redefined both glam rock and art rock. He was also well-known for his role in the fantasy movie Labyrinth, where he played the intimidating and charismatic Goblin King who had stolen the heroine’s baby brother away. Many fell in love with his performance in that movie and with him in general. He kept making music right up until he died of liver cancer. He will be remembered as an innovator and icon.
Prince (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016)
Prince Rogers Nelson was one of the most famous and best-selling musicians of all time. Known for his flamboyant style and wide vocal range, he was an innovator who integrated several musical genres including funk, pop, and R & B, into his work. He won several awards, including an academy award for Purple Rain. He was asked by director Tim Burton to record songs for his 1989 Batman film. He produced a nine-track album for the film. It hit number one in the charts and sold 4.3 million copies. His single "Batdance" was particularly successful. Prince died of fentanyl overdose, but his songs will live on forever.
Kenny Baker (24 August 1934 – 13 August 2016)
Kenny Baker was and actor best known for his role as the beloved robot R2-D2 in Star Wars. He played the character throughout both the original and prequel trilogy and served as a consultant for The Force Awakens. Kenny also played Paploo, an Ewok who steals an imperial speeder back in The Return of the Jedi. Just over three feet high, he was a pretty small guy, but he made a big impact. He played roles in several other films, including Labrynth, Time Bandits and The Elephant Man. Ken mills wrote his biography, From Tiny Acorns: The Kenny Baker Story. He died of an illness shortly before what would have been his 82nd birthday.
Anton Yelchin (11 March 1989 – 19 June 2016)
Anton Yelchin was best known for portraying Pavel Chekov in J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot movies. He played the character in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond. He was born to a Russian-Jewish family and immigrated to the United States when he was a baby. He had prominent roles in several other movies, including Terminator: Salvation, Fright Night and Alpha Dog. He died in a freak car accident when his Chrysler Jeep rolled back and pinned him against a fence. He was only 27 at the time of his death and was remembered fondly by all who knew him.
Richard Adams (9 May 1920 – 24 December 2016)
Richard Adams was an author best known for his classic adventure book Watership Down, which focused on an anthropomorphic group of rabbits who went on a perilous journey after escaping the destruction of their warren. He wrote several other novels as well, including Shardik and The Plague Dogs. He won several awards and was even elected to be a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He fought in the British army during World War II. He also served as president of the RSPCA for a short time. Adams passed away at Age 96 after enjoying a full and eventful life.
Noel Neill (November 25, 1920 – July 3, 2016)
Noel Neill was an actress best known for being the first woman to portray a live-action version of ace reporter and Superman love interest Lois Lane. She first played Lois in the 1948 Superman movie serial and went on to play the character in sequel series and The Adventures of Superman. Neill acted in over 100 films during her illustrious career and won several awards. Her friend Larry Ward said of her that she was “was "kind, selfless, hardworking, funny with a quick wit, and assertive - all the same qualities that embodied the character of Lois Lane” and noted that “"for many of us, she was the first working woman seen on television”.
Jerry Doyle (July 16, 1956 – July 27, 2016)
Jerry Doyle was known for his role in the science fiction series Babylon 5, where he played Michael Garibaldi. Babylon 5 director J. Michael Straczynski said of Doyle that "Regardless of whatever was going on in his life, whether it was marital issues, a broken arm, forced couch-surfing with Bruce and Andreas or other problems, he never once pulled a prima donna on us; he showed up every day on time, knew his lines, and insisted that the guest cast live up to the standards of the main cast.
He also appeared in other series, including Moonlighting. Outside his television career, he was known for his involvement in politics. He was a right wing radio commentator who hosted The Jerry Doyle Show. He even unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000.He died of natural causes.
Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016)
Darwyn Cooke was a talented artist, writer and animator who produced many excellent graphic novels. He was best known for his work in superhero comics. He had a retro style of art that was both classy and bold. He both wrote and drew the six-issue DC Comics miniseries The New Frontier, a striking story that reimagined heroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman dealing with the political difficulties of the Cold War. He also worked with Ed Brubaker on Catwoman and is responsible for the modern redesign of the character. Other comics include Before Watchmen and X-Force.
He also did graphic novel work outside the superhero genre, rebooting Will Eisner’s The Spirit and adapting Parker: The Hunter. He worked as a storyboard artist for the beloved cartoons Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. He also designed the title sequence for Batman Beyond.
Darwyn was a well-regarded artist who won several awards, including the Eisner Awards for both Best Single Issue and Comic Book Cover Artist. He also won the Joe Schuster award. He passed away after a long battle with cancer.
You can learn more about Cooke’s work by reading In Memory of Darwyn Cooke: 9 of his Greatest Comic Contributions.
Ron Glass (July 10, 1945 – November 25, 2016)
Ron Glass was an actor best known for his role on Joss Whedon’s cult space-western series Firefly, where he played Shepard Book. In addition to this role, he also acted in several other movies, TV series and plays. His movies include Death at a Funeral and Lakeview Terrace. Another prominent role of his include Detective Ron Harris in the Barney Miller Show. He also played smaller roles in several shows, including Star Trek Voyager and The Twilight Zone. He died of respiratory failure at age 71.
Peter Vaughan (4 April 1923 – 6 December 2016)
Peter Vaughan was best known for his roles in HBO’s Game of Thrones and the sitcom Porridge. He played Aemon Targaryen on Game of Thrones, despite being in his 90’s. His career in British film, televisions and stage spanned 75 years. When his Game of Thrones co-star Luke Barnes learned of his death, he wrote “Not often you get to work with an actual legend. He was so kind and so gentle and so interesting.”