From hitmakers to dictators: Notable deaths of 2016

By Tenny Tatusian and Andrea Roberson

Musicians, politicians, comedians, big thinkers. A roll call of those who shaped and changed the world we live in, or prompted us to look at the world a bit differently. Here are some – but by no means all – of the notable deaths of 2016.

Alan Rickman

British actor famous for his roles in “Die Hard” and “Harry Potter” movies.

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Photo credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times

Antonin Scalia

Supreme Court Justice known for his conservative views.

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Photo credit: Ray Chavez / Bay Area News Group / TNS

Arnold Palmer

Pro golfer who brought raw athleticism to a discipline many considered more skill than sport.

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Photo credit: David J. Phillip / Associated Press

David Bowie

Barrier-breaking British rock musician and actor, Bowie never stopped innovating.

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Photo credit: Justin de Villeneuve / Getty Images

Fidel Castro

Defiant of Western capitalism, Castro kept communism alive in the Western Hemisphere two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union.

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Garry Shandling

Cable TV star and writer Shandling was among a generation of comics who helped revolutionize TV comedy.

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Photo credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

Gene Wilder

Performer, screenwriter, and director famous for his role as Willy Wonka.

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Photo credit: AFP / Getty Images

George Martin

Music producer responsible for creating some of the Beatles' landmark musical moments.

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Photo credit: Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times

Janet Reno

Reno was the United States' first female attorney general.

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Photo credit: Dennis Cook / Associated Press

John Glenn

First American to orbit Earth, and also served 24 years as a senator.

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Muhammad Ali

Heavyweight boxer guided by his religion with an ever-quotable wit and a prevailing sense of cool.

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Photo credit: John Rooney / Associated Press

Morley Safer

"60 Minutes" reporter known for hard-hitting interviews and investigative reporting.

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Photo credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Nancy Reagan

The former First Lady and Ronald Reagan's closest advisor, and often played bad cop to his good cop, forcing difficult decisions that the famously easygoing chief executive was loath to make.

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Photo credit: American Vantage Media

Patty Duke

Oscar-winning actress and mental health advocate.

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Photo credit: Patty Duke

Prince

Master of rock, soul, pop and funk, and one of the best-selling artists of all time.

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Harper Lee

Author of "To Kill a Mockingbird,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

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Photo credit: Associated Press

Maurice White

Co-founder and leader of Earth, Wind & Fire.

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Photo credit: Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times

Florence Henderson

Actress who became known as Carol Brady in "The Brady Bunch".

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Photo credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Leonard Cohen

Singer-songwriter Cohen was known for songs such as “Suzanne,” “Bird on the Wire” and “Hallelujah,” and also wrote poems and two novels.

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Photo credit: Oliver Morris / Getty Images

Elie Wiesel

Nazi concentration camp survivor, Nobel Peace Prize winner and author of “Night”.

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Photo credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Merle Haggard

Country music star who never stopped writing songs.

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Photo credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times

Bill Cunningham

Famous New York fashion photographer known for traveling by bicycle.

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Photo credit: Mike Coppola / Getty Images

Zaha Hadid

Iraqi-born British architect and the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture’s highest honor.

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Photo credit: Leon Neal / AFP / Getty Images

George Michael

The singer began as half of the pop duo Wham! and went on to disrupt rigid gender norms.

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Photo credit: Alan Greth / Associated Press

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Gabor acted in a number of films but is mostly known for pioneering a modern version of celebrity — she was famous for being famous.

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Photo credit: Los Angeles Times

Carrie Fisher

Born into Hollywood royalty, she shot to fame as Princess Leia and inspired generations of girls.

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Photo credit: Ellen Jaskol / Los Angeles Times

Debbie Reynolds

“Singing' in the Rain” turned the actress into America's Sweetheart.

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Photo credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times