Celebrities who have died so far in 2017

A ridiculous amount of Celebrities died in 2016. We lost a crazy amount of gifted artists and brilliant performers, from David Bowie to Glenn Frey to Alan Rickman to Carrie Fisher to George Michael. When 2016 finally ended and 2017 began, the troubles still weren’t over yet. President-elect Donald Trump was about to be inaugurated and open a global can of worms and Theresa May was still yet to trigger Article 50.

But the hope was that maybe this plagued year of losing so many beloved celebrities would bring these tragic deaths to a close at least.

But as “Chappelle’s Show” star Charlie Murphy passed away a few days ago and now soul singer Cuba Gooding Sr. has been found dead in his car (and it’s only April), we’re not out of the woods yet. Here’s a list of all the celebrities who have died in 2017 so far.

Let’s start with Charlie Murphy

Charlie Murphy, best known for his “True Hollywood Stories” sketches on “Chappelle’s Show,” died on 12 April, tragically early at age 57, due to leukaemia. Yes, he was Eddie Murphy’s brother, but he was so much more than that. Though lesser-known, he was a hilarious comedian and actor in his own right. And one day earlier, on 11 April 2017, J. Geils, the founding member of J. Geils Band whose ‘80s hits still ring true today, from “Centerfold” to “Love Stinks” to “Freeze Frame.” He was 71.

On 6 April 2017, comedy legend Don Rickles died of kidney failure in his LA home aged 90. He may not be known to many from this generation, but Rickles carries a huge amount of weight in the world of comedy. He’s a pioneer of insult comedy, Jerry Seinfeld called him “the Mount Rushmore of standup comedy,” and he played Mr. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” movies.

And speaking of pioneers, Chuck Berry, an early pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll who could play a guitar just like ringing a bell, died on 18 March, also aged 90. He leaves behind his hits “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven.”

Bill Paxton, Hollywood’s unsung star, died at 61

Bill Paxton wasn’t as widely known as A-list stars like Brad Pitt and Will Smith, but he starred in just as many big movies.

He was in “Titanic,” he was in “Twister,” he was in “Apollo 13,” he starred in his own popular HBO drama called “Big Love,” and unfortunately he passed away on 25 February 2017 due to complications with surgery he was undergoing. He was 61. Neil Fingleton, the seven-foot-and-seven-inches actor from “Game of Thrones,” playing Mag the Mighty on the show, also died on 25 February, apparently from heart failure, at just 36.

Screen legend Sir John Hurt, whose versatility as a performer made audiences scream and laugh at the same scene (in “Alien” and “Spaceballs,” respectively) died on 27 January 2017 at age 77. Mary Tyler Moore, another acting legend, who rose to prominence on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” (and forever changed the landscape for women in television) before getting her own renowned sitcom, died on 25 January at age 80.

Actor Miguel Ferrer, an icon and frequent collaborator of director David Lynch, passed away on 19 January due to cancer at just 61.

William Peter Blatty, the writer of “The Exorcist” whose work influenced the horror genre for generations to come, passed away on 13 January from a kind of blood cancer aged 89. Also, William Christopher, who solidified himself as an icon in the adored role of Father Francis Mulcahy on the long-running Korean War sitcom “M*A*S*H,” died on 31 December 2016. Does that count as this year? It wasn’t announced until New Year’s Day 2017.