Goodbye 2016: A Sad Finale

It's time for the last of the list of people we lost in 2016.  Before I start with the list, I noticed one glaring omission in part two.  I'd thought about him since he's passed many times but for some reason didn't see him on the list I had and didn't add him.  It's time to fix that.  On July 19th we lost a Hollywood legend.  Legend is thrown around a lot, but in this case its true.

Garry Marshall- July 19th

 

So with that let's get into the final batch of those who passed on. 

Holly Dunn- November 14th

Gwen Ifill- November 14th

Cliff Barrows- November 15th

Sharon Jones- November 18th

Florence Henderson- November 24th

Ron Glass- November 25th

Alice Drummond- November 30th

Joe McKnight- December 1st

Margaret Whitton- December 4th

Rashaan Salaam- December 5th

Greg Lake- December 7th

Jimbo Elrod- December 12th

Alan Thicke- December 13th

Craig Sager- December 15th

Zsa Zsa Gabor- December 18th

George Michael- December 25th

Ricky Harris- December 26th

George S. Irving- December 26th

Barbara Tarbuck- December 27th

Carrie Fisher- December 27th

Debbie Reynolds- December 28th

Here is a little refresher on who some of these people are.

Holly Dunn- Musician
Gwen Ifill- PBS anchor
Cliff Barrows- Billy Graham Ministries
Sharon Jones- Musician
Florence Henderson- Actress
Ron Glass- Actor
Alice Drummond- Actress
Joe McKnight- Football Player
Margaret Whitton- Actress
Rashaan Salaam- Football Player/ Heisman Winner
Greg Lake- Musician
Jimbo Elrod- Football Player
Alan Thicke- Actor
Craig Sager- Reporter
Zsa Zsa Gabor- Actress
George Michael- Musician
Ricky Harris- Actor
George S. Irving- Actor
Carrie Fisher- Actress
Barbara Tarbuck- Actress
Debbie Reynolds- Actress

As I just wrote that list I am sad to report another name has to be added to this list.  I just found out William Christopher has passed away.  You may know him from the show M.A.S.H.

William Christopher- December 31st

So as the year closes, it was a really sad year for celebrity deaths.  I don't know if it was more or less than normal, but it did seem abundant.  Out of this final quarter, I think Margaret Whitton, Sharon Jones, and Alan Thicke saddened me the most.  However I'll always have something in common with Florence Henderson so that struck me too.  We were both born on February 14th, and she was on of the most famous born on that day so it always resonated with me.  Let's hope there are less names for 2017 and the magnitude of stars is much less.

That will wrap it up for now, but thank you for a memorable 2016 and I might do a recap in the coming days and an outlook for 2017 on my blog.  Thanks for reading and have a great night.

Goodbye 2016 Part Three: A Mixed Bag

Saying goodbye to 2016 and those we lost during the year, part three covers August until the middle of November.  The names on this list may not be as high profile and legendary as previous lists, but they come from all over the place and were still sad to hear.  So let's get into it so I can finish this up soon.

David Huddleston- August 2nd

Bryan Clauson- August 7th

John Saunders- August 10th

Matt Roberts- August 20th

Steven Hill- August 23rd

Mr. Fuji- August 28th

Darrell Ward- August 28th

Gene Wilder- August 29th

Alexis Arquette- September 11th

W.P. Kinsella- September 16th

Shawty Lo- September 21st

Richard Trentlage- September 21st

Buckwheat Zydeco- September 24th

Bill Nunn- September 24th

Jose Fernandez- September 25th

Arnold Palmer- September 25th

Gary Glasberg- September 28th

Dennis Byrd- October 15th

Kevin Meaney- October 21st

Bob Vanatta- October 21st

Bobby Vee- October 24th

Kevin Curran- October 25th

Leonard Cohen- November 7th

Janet Reno- November 7th

Russ Nixon- November 8th

Robert Vaughn- November 11th

Leon Russell- November 13th

Like the other lists on here, some of these names may not be familiar so I'll describe them a bit.

David Huddleston- actor: Blazing Saddles (among others)
Bryan Clauson- Racer
John Saunders- Sports analyst and announcer
Matt Roberts- Musician: 3 Doors Down
Steven Hill- Actor: Law & Order (among others)
Mr. Fuji- Wrestler and manager
Darrell Ward- TV Personality: Ice Road Truckers
Gene Wilder- Actor(DUH!): Willy Wonka, Blazing Saddles (among others)
Alexis Arquette- Actress: The Wedding Singer (among others)
W.P. Kinsella- Author: Shoeless Joe (later adapted into the movie Field of Dreams)
Shawty Lo- Rapper
Richard Trentlage- Jingle Musician: Oscar Mayer song (among others)
Buckwheat Zydeco- Musician
Bill Nunn- Actor: Do The Right Thing (among others)
Jose Fernandez- Baseball Player: Miami Marlins
Arnold Palmer- Golfer
Gary Glasberg- Executive Producer: N.C.I.S.
Dennis Byrd- Football Player: New York Jets (became paralyzed but eventually walked again)
Kevin Meaney- Comedian/Actor: Big (among others)
Bob Vanatta- Basketball Coach: Mizzou, Missouri State (among others)
Bobby Vee- Singer
Kevin Curran- Writer: The Simpsons (among others)
Leonard Cohen- Musician
Janet Reno- Former U.S. Attorney General
Russ Nixon- Baseball Player/Manager
Robert Vaughn- Actor: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (among others)
Leon Russell- Musician

Quite a diverse list of talent and all big losses.  The ones that saddened me the most were Robert Vaughn, Arnold Palmer, and John Saunders.  I always liked Vaughn even though I knew him mainly from the latter part of his career, but he played the perfect villian, not one of you hate, but one of smugness and he pulled it off to perfection.  Arnold Palmer was and always will be a legend.  I can't say much more about him than that.  John Saunders was someone I looked up to growing up to be honest.  When I was growing up I wanted to be involved with sports, and journalism was the way I saw that I could do that.  Unlike most of the sports reporters and anchors on TV in the 90's, Saunders brought a professionalism that took whatever story he was talking about more seriously.  He didn't get the credit he deserved, but I looked up to him more than almost any other on television.

So with that part three is done, and now its time to work on part four.  I will hold off on it until as late as I can on December 31st in case I have to include any last minute additions, which hopefully I won't.  Thanks for reading and have a great night.