Viewing: www.dailystar.co.uk

14:14, 13 Jun 2026

Remember when all those celebs died in 2016? We thought it was the worst year of all time, unaware of the terrible years that were to come with the covid pandemic.

It was still a ghastly year which laid waste to the global ranks of celebrities, including some huge superstars like David Bowie, Prince and Muhammed Ali.

Bowies death kicked things off just ten days into the year, but his loss was followed swiftly by a host of cultural icons. Here is a look back on the year of celeb deaths that was 2016

[David Bowie died on January 10, 2016]

David Bowie died on January 10, 2016(Image: PA)

January

David Bowie: Died January 10 (Age 69) - Visionary British rock musician and cultural icon. His death kicked off the terrible year that was to come.

Alan Rickman: Died January 14 (Age 69) - Acclaimed British stage and screen actor (Harry Potter, Die Hard). Best known for Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise.

Glenn Frey: Died January 18 (Age 67) - Guitarist and founding member of The Eagles.

Terry Wogan: Died January 31 (Age 77) - Veteran BBC broadcaster and radio host.

[Terry Wogan, one of the UK's best-loved broadcasters ]

Terry Wogan, one of the UK's best-loved broadcasters (Image: BBC)

February

Maurice White: Died February 8 (Age 74) - Founder of the funk and R&B band Earth, Wind & Fire.

Harper Lee: Died February 19 (Age 89) - Pulitzer Prize-winning author of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Umberto Eco: Died February 19 (Age 84) - Renowned Italian scholar and author ( The Name of the Rose ).

March & April

[Merle Haggard ]

Merle Haggard (Image: Mirrorpix)

Nancy Reagan: Died March (Age 94) - Former First Lady of the United States.

Merle Haggard: Died April 6 (Age 79) - Legendary American country music singer and songwriter.

Prince: Died April 21 (Age 57) - Groundbreaking, multi-instrumentalist pop and funk superstar.

Summer

Muhammad Ali: Died June 3 (Age 74) - Heavyweight boxing champion and global cultural icon.

Caroline Aherne: Died July 2 (Age 52) - Beloved British comedy actress and writer (The Royle Family).

[Muhammad ALi]

Muhammad Ali(Image: Getty Images)

Gene Wilder: Died August 29 (Age 83) - Iconic comedic actor (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory).

Autumn/Winter

Leonard Cohen: Died November 7 (Age 82) - Celebrated Canadian poet, singer, and songwriter.

Andrew Sachs: Died December 1 (Age 86) - Actor best known for his role as Manuel in Fawlty Towers .

[Andrew Sachs]

Andrew Sachs(Image: Getty Images)

Carrie Fisher: Died December 27 (Age 60) - Actress, writer, and pop culture icon (Star Wars).

Debbie Reynolds: Died December 28 (Age 84) - Hollywood legend and singer (Singin' in the Rain).

George Michael: Died December 25 (Age 53) - British pop superstar and former Wham! frontman.

[Dailystar Icon]

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Choose Daily Star as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.

[Google Preferred Source Badge]Follow Daily Star:

Comments

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.

All the stars that died in 'year of celebrity deaths - how 2016 ripped showbiz world apart

Here we have a look back at 2016 dubbed the 'Celebrity Year of Death', when we lost some of the biggest names in showbiz and music, including David Bowie, George Michael and Prince