Saddest Deaths of 2017

Chester Bennington

Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 to July 20, 2017) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the lead vocalist of Linkin Park.

Before he became known for his work with Linkin Park, Bennington was the lead singer of the post-grunge band Grey Daze, which was... read more

It is the first time the death of a musician I liked personally affected me.
I started listening to Prince a few months before he died, but I started listening to Linkin Park 10 years before Bennington died. That's half my life. I'm 20 now. Plus, I know it was suicide from depression, and you can feel that in the music.
Linkin Park was one of the rock groups everybody seemed to like. Back when I was 10, in our school, they were THE band. But no one listened to the lyrics. Even though most Germans and Austrians speak English, most will tune the language out when listening to the music or care about the emotion packed in there. It just rocked to us.
Later, when I was a teenager bordering on adulthood, I dug deeper into the music and understood the rough feelings in it, and loved it even more. One can say Linkin Park accompanied me on my way from childhood to so-called adulthood (I am not grown up yet and still have lots to learn, I'd say). And all that makes me sad. To be honest, this is the first time a celebrity's death personally touched me so deeply.

Chris Cornell

Christopher John "Chris" Cornell (July 20, 1964 to May 18, 2017) was an American rock musician and singer-songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the frontman of Audioslave. Renowned for his powerful voice, he possessed a wide... read more

In terms of ranking based on sadness, I think that Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell should both be above Chuck Berry. His was a great loss as well, but to me, his legacy is already set in stone, and I feel like he's given all he can to the world.
Chris and Chester, on the other hand, still had a career ahead of them, still had shows to play, and still had time left that is now tragically gone. They deserved longer.
Terrible thing, depression.

I don't really know what to say. He was a huge inspiration to my own personal songwriting. He had a voice that hasn't been replicated. His music was one of the contributing factors to why I love Grunge (and practically the alternative music genre in general).
Rest in peace, Chris. We'll miss you, buddy. Hope you're rocking up there in heaven.

Adam West

William West Anderson, known professionally as Adam West, was an American actor known primarily for his role as Batman in the 1960s ABC television series and its 1966 theatrical feature film. His campy portrayal became iconic and influenced generations of Batman adaptations. He later voiced characters... read more

RIP Gotham's greatest hero and Quahog's mayor. I'm going to be honest: this is the first celebrity death to make me cry. Batman was and still is one of my greatest fictional heroes.

It was just so sudden, and the fact that nobody told us he had leukemia made it sadder.
He was 88 years old, though. But I'll always remember him as the '60s Batman and the mayor in Family Guy.

My favorite Batman, the only real one in my opinion, has died. He will be missed.

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He is known for songs such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," and "Maybellene." Berry died on March 18, 2017.

I seriously didn't know he was still alive, but I'm really sorry to hear that he passed away. R.I.P. Chuck.

Johnny B. Goode is not going anymore, but he is still the father of rock and roll. R.I.P. Chuck Berry.

I'm crying manly tears right now for such a great loss. This man was, is, and will always be a legend who will transcend space-time as future generations remember him as the man who pretty much invented rock and roll.

Tom Petty

Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty was an American musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He was best known as the lead vocalist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty also co-founded the supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and the band Mudcrutch.

It was so shocking when he died. Tom Petty has always been one of my favorite artists.

Really sad. He died today, October 3. R.I.P.

I'm still shocked that he's gone. Rest in peace, Tom.

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore was an American actress best known for her groundbreaking roles in television sitcoms. She starred as Mary Richards, a single career woman working as an associate producer at a Minneapolis television news station, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.... read more

Charlie Murphy

Saying goodbye to a comedy icon. You will be missed.

Bill Paxton

William Bill Paxton (1955-2017) was an American actor and film director. He starred in popular films such as Twister, Aliens, and Titanic. Paxton also directed movies like Frailty and received critical acclaim for his television work on Big Love.

He was a great actor. Too bad he died at 61 of surgery complications.

He was part of Titanic, Aliens, and others.
Sad to see him die so soon. R.I.P.

Roger Moore

Sir Roger George Moore KBE (1927-2017) was an English actor. He portrayed James Bond in seven feature films between 1973 and 1985, including Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and Moonraker. Before his Bond role, Moore appeared in television dramas such as Ivanhoe, The Alaskans, and Maverick, and... read more

Bond. James Bond. Personally, losing one of my favorite Bonds was some of the saddest stuff ever.

Gregg Allman

Gregory LeNoir Allman was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He co-founded the Allman Brothers Band, which was influential in the development of Southern rock. Allman also had a successful solo career and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

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Mike Ilitch

Malcolm Young

Malcolm Mitchell Young (January 6, 1953, to November 18, 2017) was an Australian musician best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC. He was a key force behind the band's sound and songwriting, contributing to many of its greatest hits. Young remained... read more

A sad death. While Chester (never forget) chose to die, this guy just died from dementia. Rock in peace.

This man is one of the reasons why AC/DC is so great.

Don Rickles

Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 - April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was known primarily for his style of insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995).... read more

My grandmother met Don when she was a teen, right before Toy Story. It's sad to see him gone. I wonder who will voice Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 4?

Dan Castellaneta did a great impression of this guy on The Simpsons. He could work as Mr. Potato Head.

They should've deleted Mr. Potato Head from Toy Story 4 or canceled the film entirely due to Don's death.

Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis (March 16, 1926 - August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, director, screenwriter, and humanitarian. He was renowned for his slapstick comedy and his extensive philanthropic work, especially with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis also formed the popular... read more

This guy raised billions to support the MDA with his telethons. Without him, not as many people would be aware of muscular dystrophy.
He was also an amazing actor, best known for his role in The Nutty Professor, and part of the duo that made up Martin and Lewis.

June Foray

June Lucille Foray was an American voice actress and radio personality whose career spanned more than 80 years. She was best known for voicing a wide range of beloved animated characters, including Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Cindy Lou Who, Jokey Smurf, and Granny in the Warner Bros. cartoons. Foray also... read more

Just got back from watching Animat's tribute podcast to June Foray. To see someone as important to not only some of the most beloved characters in animation we all know and love that she has voiced, but also someone important to the medium of animation in contributing to its ability to stand out in the eyes of Hollywood is tragic.
While I will always remember her most as the voice of Granny from Looney Tunes, whom she voiced throughout the entirety of her career, now everyone shall remember her as the first lady of voice acting and an important figure in animation for her legacy.

John Hurt

Sir John Vincent Hurt, CBE (January 22, 1940 - January 25, 2017), was an English actor and voice actor whose career spanned six decades. He was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in the world."

R.I.P. Mr. Hurt. Thank you for being such an amazing actor.

Hiromi Tsuru

Miguel Ferrer

Tony Rosato

Tony Rosato (1954-2017) was an Italian-Canadian actor and voice actor who appeared in television and movies in both Canada and the United States. He is best known for being a cast member on Saturday Night Live and Second City Television. He was also the original voice of Luigi in the animated series... read more

Without him, the YouTube Poop probably wouldn't be the same.
"That's Mama Luigi to you, Mario!"

Prodigy

Della Reese

Bobby Heenan

Raymond Louis Heenan, better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, was an American professional wrestling manager, color commentator, wrestler, and comedian. He was widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestling managers of all time and was known for his sharp wit and entertaining commentary. Heenan worked... read more

Harvey Atkin

Erin Moran

George A. Romero

George Andrew Romero was an American and Canadian filmmaker, writer, editor, and actor. He was born on February 4, 1940, in New York City and became a Canadian citizen in 2009. Romero was a pioneer of the modern zombie film genre, best known for influential works such as Night of the Living Dead (1968... read more