Celebrity Deaths in 2016

[javero]

Please forgive me if this thread is too macabre or self-indulgent for your tastes.  I'm simply trying to gain a perspective on the staggering number of celebrity deaths this year.  It's also my way of honoring each of the departed for their respective contribution to the arts and athletics.

Famous people we've said goodbye to so far this year.

[Jay Lerner-Z]

For balance!

 
From David Bowie in early January to Prince last week with Alan Rickman, Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, Garry Shandling and Victoria Wood and many others in between, 2016 has been a grim year. But this is not some unfortunate statistical blip as many have reported.

 Wikipedia - who keep a tally of the deaths of people who merit their own substantial Wikipedia page, say that there were more famous deaths between January 1 and April 21 in 2015 (2,202) than there have been in the same time period this year (2,109).

 The Wikipedia survey is instructional as they define “famous” to include prominent members of the clergy or academia. Social media most definitely doesn’t.

 The bar for “fame” has been considerably lowered. One of the names to have died this year, David Gest, is a perfect example of how the definition has evolved.

[javero]

Thanks for sharing, Jay Lerner-Z.  Balance is a good thing.  Most of my friends and I (as well as our parents) are either baby boomers or older so we're starting to see lives winding down regularly.  Bucket lists have crept into our conversations.  There's so much more that I have to do.  I only hope that time will be my friend.

[South Florida]

South Park needs dead celebrities 2.  When they're younger it's sadder, Prince hurts a little more because of his age.