30 December 2016

2016: In Memoriam

2016: a year that took so many. And a lot of those were highly regarded public figures in the spotlight. I wanted to put together a small something to reflect on some of the many talent that was lost during this difficult year.



  • The first loss of the greats that the world collectively mourned was David Bowie. He was someone I deeply admired all throughout my childhood with the many viewings of Labyrinth (1986) and someone whose music, which I grew up on, I respected and revered. He was irreplaceable, a true defintion of a legend.
  • Shortly after hearing of Bowie's passing came the news of the death of Alan Rickman. This was a double whammy coming straight from hearing about Bowie a few days previously. Rickman oozed charm in every film he starred in, and his villains he portrayed were always a delight to watch.
The months carried on with more news coming in of well-known icons passing: Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, Paul Daniels, Victoria Wood - the British legends; Muhammad Ali, Garry Shandling, Prince - the icons of America. By the time June had begun, people were already feeling uneasy about this year. And we weren't even halfway through...
  •  I've already discussed previously in this blog, how I was affected by hearing about the untimely death of Anton Yelchin. Even now, it still lingers and I feel for every person who lost someone they deeply admired this year.
  • August brought the news of the passing of Gene Wilder, with many reflecting on what a true comedic great he was.
And still the year continued with even more announcements causing shockwaves - by now, people were looking upon this year with disdain, with many of their idols taken from them. It would be that whenever a famous person was trending on Twitter, the immediate conclusion was of something bad happening. With November, came the news that Leonard Cohen had passed as well as Robert Vaughn. Just when people were thinking they were out of the woods with 2017 approaching, December occurred...
  •  The shocking news of George Michael's death on Christmas Day was a cruel reminder that this year was not through with us yet. As well as Bowie, George Michael was someone whose music was always a part of my life and for many, it still boggles the mind that he will no longer be around.
  • To have that announcement, swiftly followed by the news of the admirable Carrie Fisher now no longer with us, the world again mourned as one. And the next day came the double sucker-punch: Carrie's mom, the legendary Debbie Reynolds had also died.
This year has been relentless. And even though a lot of people grieved for those they greatly respected, we seemed to come together as a community to do so. I haven't even touched on the true number of those that passed away this year, including: Christina Grimmie (an absolute ridiculously senseless death), Alan Thicke and Caroline Aherne. We as a nation have been rocked by each announcement. Let's hope that the Grim Reaper takes a long vacation as 2017 dawns.

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