Rockers We’ve Lost in 2016
The first few weeks of the year saw the ranks in rock 'n' roll heaven quickly swell, as this gallery of Rockers We've Lost in 2016 shows.
David Bowie, Paul Kantner, Glenn Frey and a pair of managers who oversaw the careers of the Bee Gees, Cream, the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds each passed before January was over. They were followed, as 2016 continued to unfold, by prog legend Keith Emerson, along with signature members of Mott the Hoople, Tower of Power, Bowie's celebrated late-'70s era band and Dio. Later in the year, we lost Prince, Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell and George Martin. And that's not to mention Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead, who suddenly left us in late 2015.
Bowie, who died at 69 after a secretive 18-month battle with cancer, had just released Blackstar, the album that would serve as his final LP of new material during his lifetime. Frey, on the other hand, had waged a very public battle with stomach issues. The Eagles were forced to postpone an appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors back in November because he required major surgery.
Keith Emerson, the outsized co-founding keyboardist in Emerson Lake and Palmer, committed suicide at 71 in March. He'd reportedly been suffering from depression over a degenerative nerve issue in one hand that had sharply curtailed his ability to play.
Click through for brief tributes to the Rockers We've Lost in 2016 in the above photo gallery. May they all rest in peace.