As the year closes and we welcome yet another new year, people jest about how 2016 will be seen by future generations as a particularly infamous year.
From stressful elections to political unrest, 2016 has indeed seen its fair share of pain and loss. However, for netizens, what's most apparent about the closing year is the sheer number of celebrity deaths from iconic artists to a legendary athlete
Celebrity Deaths In 2016
In the beginning of the year, rock star David Bowie and beloved English actor Alan Rickman passed on and while many mourned their deaths, the idea of a "cursed year" was still but a simple jest on the internet. However, as the days passed and more names were added to the list, the humor behind the curse was lessening with the amount of pain mounting amongst mourning fans.
Music Icon Prince, Victoria Wood, Ronnie Corbett, Sir Terry Wogan, classic novelist Harper Lee, Patty Duke, fifth Beatle Sir George Martin and Doris Roberts were just a few of the names added to death's list by mid-year. A few. Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali left us in June and the tragic death of talented Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin added to the lengthening list. By then, many were already hoping that the list would end but the loss endured until the end of the year. As the year was nearing its end, Willy Wonka actor Gene wilder and baseball star Jose Fernandez joined the list.
December claimed actor Alan Thicke and on Christmas day, George Michael passed on. The latest headlining loss of the year was the passing of Star Wars star Carrie Fisher on Dec 27 and her mother Debbie Reynolds just a day after. Fisher was widely beloved as Princess Leia in Star Wars, and her mother iconic actress and singer Debbie Reynolds was best known for 1952's Singin' In The Rain.
The 'Curse Of 2016': Statistics
Last October, an analysis of celebrity deaths was released by Linnea Crowther of Legacy.com. By then, the number of celebrity deaths was already at 71, which is a considerably higher number in comparison to other years that she studied, outpacing the other years by 5 to 20. In Crowther's analysis, cancer can be blamed for 25.4 percent of the year's celebrity deaths, which is higher than the average of 25.2 in previous years. Among the numbers, 22 of the celebrity deaths were deemed to be "major" deaths, which is again, higher than the average which comes between eight and 19.
Leaving With A Legacy
Truly, even the numbers agree that 2016 was indeed "cursed" in terms of the number of beloved celebrities we lost this year. However, it is important to note that the celebrities we lost left us with legacies that go beyond the music or the screen. Many of them left us with wonderful examples of charity, advocacy and humanity.
A simple example would be the influx of revelations about the charitable heart of George Michael after he passed on Christmas Day, exposing numerous acts of charity that he chose to keep private. Harper Lee's classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, left many with open minds about what humanity truly means.
Muhammad Ali, the legendary boxer, showed many that hard work and dedication can take you places and Carrie Fisher, a strong woman and admitted bipolar disorder sufferer, empowered many to speak up about their silent sufferings and not to be ashamed of themselves.
Heartbreaking as it is to leave the year with so much grief and mourning, we leave the "curse of 2016" and enter into 2017 with high hopes of good health and safety, not just of beloved celebrities, but of each person as well.
