There are people all over the internet declaring 2016 “the worst year ever” because … lots of celebrities died. (They probably consider Fidel Castro a celebrity.)
Not because ISIS is shooting, knifing, detonating and plowing through people, no, because Carrie Fisher died.
Not because so many people are out of work or are in low wage service jobs, no, because George Michael died.
If 2016 could ever be ranked near the “worst year ever” compared to, say, 1929, it’s because of the vapidness of the people who are alive in 2016.
Here’s a list of celebrities (I’m leaving out political figures) who I’ve heard of who died in 2016:
Prince, David Bowie, George Michael, Florence Henderson, Alan Thicke, Carrie Fisher, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Muhammad Ali, Debbie Reynolds, Gwen Ifill, Robert Vaughn, Leonard Cohen, Kevin Meaney, Arnold Palmer, Jon Polito, Gene Wilder, Garry Marshall, Chyna, Doris Roberts, Merle Haggard, Patty Duke, Garry Shandling, Ken Howard, Joe Garagiola, Frank Sinatra Jr., George Martin, George Kennedy, Harper Lee, Abe Vigoda, Glenn Frey, Alan Rickman.
There are a number of people on this list whose talent I enjoyed. My life has not changed one iota with their passing.
Here’s a list from 2015:
Natalie Cole, Wayne Rogers, Anne Meara, Gene Saks, Maureen O’Hara, Leonard Nimoy, B.B. King, Sawyer Sweeten, Jackie Collins, Omar Sharif, Suzanne Crough, Anita Ekberg, Scott Weiland, Robert Loggia, Dick Van Patten, Wes Craven, Percy Sledge, Christopher Lee, James Horner, Rod Taylor, Ben E. King, Sam Simon, Patrick Macnee, Gary Owens, Joe Franklin, Marjorie Lord, Richard Dysart,
There are a number of people on this list whose talent I enjoyed. My life has not changed one iota with their passing.
I think my point has been made.
Here’s Paul Joseph Watson facepalming the idiots with a complete lack of perspective —
ht/ Annie
Everybody you listed is still voting Democrat.
I wrote about this very thing when Muhammad Ali died in June.
http://patriotretort.com/downsizing-grief/
I dunno, 1970 also pretty much sucked for the music world. We lost both Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin that year, not to mention Little David Baughan of The Drifters, Mary Ann Ganser of The Shangri-Las, and Otis Spann the blues piano great.
Plus, who can ever forget Grady Pannel? He also died in 1970, age 20. He was a member of BOTH The Herdsmen AND The Electric Toilet who recorded the timeless classic Mississippi Hippy.
When I was 15 I was a pall bearer — a real one, carrying the casket from the hearse to the gravesite — for someone I knew.
He was born on October 18, 1956 — three days before Carry Fisher. She outlived my friend by two weeks short of 45 years.
My condolences go out to the Fisher/Reynolds family — but that is because they are people. I do not see how Carrie Fisher being a celebrity makes her death any sadder. She was 60. My oldest brother was 52 when he died.
People die. We all will. Perhaps that news has not filtered into the “safe spaces.”
I’m on the younger side of the Boomers so most of these folks were names I grew mup with. Some I really enjoyed and admired.
Their movies and characters will live on.
We all have our time, and eventually we die.
Of course, play with drugs, die sooner. And that’s a big percentage of those on this year’s list.
My 15 year old and I were discussing this very thing recently. I told her that it is very sad for the families, and they have my sympathy and condolences. However, their deaths are no more tragic than any other loss for any other family.
Well shit, if yer gonna start makin sense around here, I’m goin home!
People need to get their priorities straight… experience and perspective helps.
That’s why it’s usually a younger generation issue – they just don’t have enough experience or learned enough history yet.
In the case of older democRats…. well they simply never grew up!
I still remember when Elvis died 40 years ago, you would’ve thought the world had ended the way a lot of his women fans carried on when he died.
On a brighter note Hillary Clinton died in 2016. She just doesn’t know it yet.
2016 shoulda tried harder.
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i1HRWd0tYxU/WGR9quoIqqI/AAAAAAAAg-U/OFee4yBIcR8Zw4m3bw7Migwpw1_QmT5fACLcB/s1600/fonda.jpg
This is my Dead Pool for 2017:
George HW Bush
Jimmy Carter
Sean Connery
Doris Day
Bob Dole
Hosni Mubarak
Glenn Campbell
Kirk Douglas
Mary Tyler Moore
Burt Reynolds
Scored 3 in 2016.
None of the dead celebrities would give a tinker’s damn for any of our deaths. How many of these dead celebrities really gave a damn about their fans? Not many.
“Don’t take life too seriously because you’re not going to get out of it alive.” ~Red Skelton
Re: Dead Pool, without googling, I would have guessed some of those older names have already passed.
Yep, Fonda can’t go soon enough. Maybe a group of ex POWs can scatter her ashes on the slum alleys of Hanoi.
I’ll pause to be sad the day Connery goes. End of an era, like Clark Gable going. Some great moments.
“Do you expect me to talk, Goldfinger?”
“No, Mister Bond. I expect you to die.”
Gert Frobe passed in 2016 too.
@anon
Queen Elizabeth
Charlie Sheen
Keith Richards after skating past the graveyard for so many years
George Soros
All good picks, but the tough part is you are limited to just 10 for the year.
Davy Crockett has been dead for 180 years (d. March 6, 1836). What Crockett and the defenders of the Alamo did outshines total performer contributions/deaths for the past 180 years.
Heartless bastids left out Miss Cleo.
I shed a few tears when I found out Brad Delp from Boston had died. Because he committed suicide. I thought, “How can someone whose music was so incredibly positive kill himself?” But as we all know, depression does not play favorites. The way he went just hit smack dab in the middle of home and conjured up a lot of bad memories for me as I saw crippling depression nearly take the life of someone I know really well. Twice my close friend tried to end it all. Two incredibly close calls for them. But thank God angels were sent to interfere and my friend has rebounded spectacularly since. I just wish there had been a divine intervention for Brad like there was for my friend. Keith Emerson’s death really bummed me out too because he took his own life as well.
Fortunately, I was able to see Brad with Boston in concert TWICE on his last tour. He sounded better than ever!
P.S. Fair Warning (pun intended). When Diamond David Lee Roth goes I’m gonna be a basket case. 🙂
Paul Joseph Watson is a handsome lad, unusual for Brits. I love how pink he looks, like a kid who just came in from the cold.
2016 REVIEW in TERRORIST ATTACKS!
http://politopinion.com/2017/01/2016-terrorism-review/
Celebs I do not personally know that die does not affect me. Unfortunately, it was a bad year, lost some friends and acquaintances that happened to be in the public eye.
I still miss Breitbart. Wish he was here.
The only celebrity I shed a tear over this year was our own AdminGirl.
🙁
In a tragic development, Bruce Springsteen is still alive and performing his lame-assed music.
just because someone with more talent than you wrote your clever dialogue, & just because someone else dressed you to look cool, & just because some expert made you look your absolute best, & just because someone else made you do your scene, over & over, until you captured what they wanted …. doesn’t make you, or your opinion, more valid than anyone else’s
we all die … get over your collective selves …. you are nothing more than minstrels & jesters
… you’re special … just like everyone else …
I’m not gay so of course I’m not in the entertainment industry. I was more upset
hearing AdminGirl died.
Sig94
“Davy Crockett has been dead for 180 years (d. March 6, 1836). What Crockett and the defenders of the Alamo did outshines total performer contributions/deaths for the past 180 years.”
Damn straight!
And santa anna was a pussy
Davy, Davy Crockett King of the wild frontier. He was every kid’s hero when we were younger back in the 50’s and 60’s.
Same people bawling over a sorcerous sodomite can murder their own children in the womb.
@jclady, Amen.
Fate is indeed whimsical that would take Stevie Ray Vaughn from us and leave Kieth Richards.
My dear little mother died Oct 10.
She’ll always be my “star.” The rest of them? Not so much….