44 Pictures Of The Brilliant And Talented People Who Died In 2016

"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring." —David Bowie

1. David Bowie: Singer-songwriter and actor (Jan. 8, 1947–Jan. 10, 2016)

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"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring." —David Bowie

2. Alan Rickman: Actor (Feb. 21, 1946–Jan. 14, 2016)

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"I think there's some connection between absolute discipline and absolute freedom." —Alan Rickman

3. Glenn Frey: Singer-songwriter and founding member of the Eagles rock band (Nov. 6, 1948–Jan. 18, 2016)

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"Except for a few guitar chords, everything I've learned in my life that is of any value I've learned from women." —Glenn Frey

4. Maurice White: Singer-songwriter, record producer, and founding member of the group Earth, Wind, & Fire (Dec. 19, 1941–Feb. 4, 2016)

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"I have learned that music helps a lot of people survive, and they want songs that can give them something — I guess you could call it hope." —Maurice White

5. Dave Mirra: Professional BMX rider (April 4, 1974–Feb. 4, 2016)

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"I'd risk the fall just to know how it feels to fly." —Dave Mirra

6. Antonin Scalia: Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (March 11, 1936–Feb. 13, 2016)

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"Indeed, follow your star if you want to head north and it's the North Star. But if you want to head north and it's Mars, you had better follow somebody else's star." —Antonin Scalia

7. Harper Lee: Novelist (April 28, 1926–Feb. 19, 2016)

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"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." —Harper Lee

8. George Kennedy: Actor (Feb. 18, 1925–Feb. 28, 201)

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"I have been so fortunate and I really am appreciative of the success I've had." —George Kennedy

9. Nancy Reagan: Actress and 40th first lady of the United States (July 6, 1921–March 6, 2016)

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"You learn something out of everything, and you come to realize more than ever that we're all here for a certain space of time, and, and then it's going to be over, and you better make this count." —Nancy Reagan

10. George Martin: Record producer, composer, and "fifth member" of the Beatles (Jan. 3, 1926–March 8, 2016)

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"The funny thing about getting old is you don’t basically feel any different. Every time I get up in the morning I look in the mirror, I look at my dad. I say, ‘Morning dad,’ and I go on to shave." —George Martin

11. Keith Emerson: Musician and composer (Nov. 2, 1944–March 11, 2016)

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"I consider everything I compose a gift." —Keith Emerson

12. Phife Dawg: Rapper and member of the group A Tribe Called Quest (Nov. 20, 1970–March 22, 2016)

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"Your whole appearance is a lie and it could never be true. And if you really loved yourself, then you would try and be you." —Phife Dawg

13. Garry Shandling: Comedian, actor, writer, and producer (Nov. 29, 1949–March 24, 2016)

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"I once made love for an hour and fifteen minutes, but it was the night the clocks are set ahead." —Garry Shandling

14. Merle Haggard: Singer-songwriter (April 6, 1937–April 6, 2016)

Ebet Roberts / Redferns

"I'm just writin' about my little ol' love affair." —Merle Haggard

15. Doris Roberts: Actress and author (Nov. 4, 1925–April 17, 2016)

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"When I go, if there's a tombstone it will say, 'She doesn't give in. She doesn't give up. And she never takes no for an answer.'" —Doris Roberts

16. Prince: Singer-songwriter (June 7, 1958–April 21, 2016)

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"Every day I feel is a blessing from God. And I consider it a new beginning. Yeah, everything is beautiful." —Prince

17. Muhammad Ali: Professional boxer and activist (Jan. 17, 1942–June 3, 2016)

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"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life." —Muhammad Ali

18. Christina Grimmie: Singer-songwriter and YouTuber (March 12, 1994–June 10, 2016)

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"No matter what society is trying to drill in your head about how you should look, how you should act, and what you need to say, I think it's all crap. All of it. Be yourself and do you." —Christina Grimmie

19. Anton Yelchin: Actor (March 11, 1989–June 19, 2016)

Carlo Allegri / AP

"In a relationship when things are really great you don't need to say anything and just enjoy the other person. Sometimes with a couple, it gets dark and you don't know what to say and that silence can last all day. Other times you don't want to stop talking because you don't want to lose one another." —Anton Yelchin

20. Bill Cunningham: Fashion photographer for the New York Times (March 13, 1929–June 25, 2016)

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"I go out every day. When I get depressed at the office, I go out, and as soon as I'm on the street and see people, I feel better. But I never go out with a preconceived idea. I let the street speak to me." —Bill Cunningham

21. Pat Summitt: Women's college basketball head coach (June 14, 1952–June 28, 2016)

Gerry Broome / ASSOCIATED PRESS

"God doesn’t take things away to be cruel. He takes things away to make room for other things. He takes things away to lighten us. He takes things away so we can fly." —Pat Summitt

22. Elie Wiesel: Writer, professor, activist, Nobel Laureate and Holocaust survivor (Sept. 30, 1928–July 2, 2016)

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"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference." —Elie Wiesel

23. Garry Marshall: Actor, director, producer, writer, and creator of the television show Happy Days (Nov. 13, 1934–July 19, 2016)

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"You go to a theater now and you literally see parents watching the movie and they suddenly cover their kid's ears. I figured I'd make one movie where they didn't have to do this." —Garry Marshall

24. Miss Cleo: American television personality (Aug. 12, 1962–July 26, 2016)

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"You can't fool Miss Cleo!" —Miss Cleo

25. Kenny Baker: Actor (Aug. 24, 1934–Aug. 13, 2016)

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"There are not very many opportunities for little people in the industry. There are small parts and character parts, but we don't get the girl-at-the-end-of-the-film kind of parts...but I was quite happy with what I was doing." —Kenny Baker

26. Gene Wilder: Actor, screenwriter, director, and author (June 11, 1933–Aug. 29, 2016)

Elisa Leonelli / Elisa Leonelli/REX/Shutterstock

"I'm going to tell you what my religion is. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito." —Gene Wilder

27. Arnold Palmer: Professional golfer (Sept. 10, 1929–Sept. 25, 2016)

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"You must play boldly to win." —Arnold Palmer

28. José Fernández: Professional baseball pitcher (July 31, 1992–Sept. 25, 2016)

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"You were born into freedom, you don’t understand freedom.” —José Fernández

29. Leonard Cohen: Singer-songwriter, poet, novelist, and painter (Sept. 21, 1934–Nov. 7, 2016)

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"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." —Leonard Cohen

30. Janet Reno: Former attorney general of the United States (July 21, 1938–Nov. 7, 2016)

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"My earnest hope is that what we started in terms of building partnerships with communities across America will continue, that we will continue our efforts to reduce crime and violence." —Janet Reno

31. Robert Vaughn: Actor (Nov. 22, 1932–Nov. 11, 2016)

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"The marvelous thing is that for thousands of years people have continued questioning and searching and ultimately concluding that reasons for certain occurrences are not given to man to know." —Robert Vaughn

32. Gwen Ifill: Peabody Award–winning journalist, television newscaster, and author (Sept. 29, 1955–Nov. 14, 2016)

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"Hope springs eternal, even in politics." —Gwen Ifill

33. Sharon Jones: Soul and funk singer (May 4, 1956–Nov. 18, 2016)

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"I sing this song in church — 'I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me.' I got a feeling that all these shows, all this everything, is part of my blessing. And in my heart, I know I'm going to do every show, and everything is going to be OK." —Sharon Jones

34. Florence Henderson: Actress and singer (Feb. 14, 1934–Nov. 24, 2016)

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"It takes a lot of courage to be happy, but I've got courage, so I think I will be happy again." —Florence Henderson

35. Fidel Castro: Cuban revolutionary and president of Cuba (Aug. 13, 1926–Nov. 25, 2016)

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"Men do not shape destiny, destiny produces the man for the hour." —Fidel Castro

36. John Glenn: Aviator, engineer, astronaut, and US senator from Ohio (July 18, 1921–Dec. 8, 2016)

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“I’m not interested in my legacy. I made up a word: ‘live-acy.’ I’m more interested in living.” —John Glenn

37. Alan Thicke: Actor, songwriter, and game and talk show host (March 1, 1947–Dec. 13, 2016)

Courtesy: Everett Collection

"If one tends to be a humorous person and you have a sense of humor the rest of your life then you can certainly lighten the load, I think, by bringing that to your trials and tribulations. It’s easy to have a sense of humor when everything is going well." —Alan Thicke

38. Craig Sager: Sports reporter (June 29, 1951–Dec. 15, 2016)

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"If I’ve learned anything through all of this, it’s that each and every day is a canvas, waiting to be painted — an opportunity for love, for fun, for living, for learning." —Craig Sager

39. Dr. Henry Heimlich: Thoracic surgeon, medical researcher, and the inventor of the Heimlich maneuver (Feb. 3, 1920–Dec. 17, 2016)

Al Behrman / AP

"Creative ideas are often attacked because people oppose change or do not understand new concepts." —Dr. Henry Heimlich

40. Zsa Zsa Gabor: Actress (Feb. 6, 1917–Dec. 18, 2016)

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"I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house." —Zsa Zsa Gabor

41. Vera Rubin: Astronomer (July 23, 1928–Dec. 25, 2016)

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"Science is competitive, aggressive, demanding. It is also imaginative, inspiring, uplifting." —Vera Rubin

42. George Michael: Singer, songwriter, and record producer (June 25, 1963–Dec. 25, 2016)

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"You'll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart." —George Michael

43. Carrie Fisher: Actress, screenwriter, author, and producer (Oct. 21, 1956–Dec. 27, 2016)

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"I don’t want life to imitate art. I want life to be art" —Carrie Fisher

44. Debbie Reynolds: Actress, singer, film historian, and humanitarian (April 1, 1932–Dec. 28, 2016)

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"I gave it all that I had, and it's gratifying that others seem to be receiving it so well." —Debbie Reynolds