Prince was found dead in a private elevator after taking an accidental overdose of painkillers. (Photo: Archive)
George Michael, who died on Christmas Day, had secretly donated millions of pounds to charity. (Photo: Archive)
Pop icon David Bowie died on 10 January 2016, just two days after releasing his final album – the enigmatic Blackstar. (Photo: Archive)
Pop singer Christina Grimmie was shot dead while signing autographs for fans after a concert in Florida this June. (Photo: Archive)
Natalie Cole died of heart failure brought on by a rare lung disease on New Year’s Day 2016. Her final words were: “I love you all.” (Photo: Archive)
Maurice White, frontman of Earth Wind and Fire, died in his sleep in February at the age of 74. (Photo: Archive)
Indie band Viola Beach died tragically in February, when their car ploughed through crash barriers and plunged into a canal. (Photo: Archive)
A self-confessed former drug addict, Rick Parfitt (left), died in hospital in Spain, aged 68, in December. (Photo: Archive)
Leonard Cohen died at home after a fall in November. (Photo: Archive)
Sir George Martin, the “fifth Beatle” who gave the band a record deal when no-one else would, died in March, aged 90. (Photo: Archive)
Pete Burns died in October at the age of 55 after suffering a “massive cardiac arrest”. (Photo: Archive)
Peter Maxwell Davies, celebrated for his prolific and often unpredictable compositions, died of leukaemia in March. (Photo: Archive)
Prince Buster died in September. He was 78. (Photo: Archive)
Pierre BoulezBBC
Composer, conductor and iconoclast Pierre Boulez died at home, aged 90. (Photo: Archive)
Sir Neville MarrinerAP
Sir Neville Marriner was one of the UK’s most highly-regarded conductors and introduced millions to Mozart through the soundtrack to the Oscar-winning film Amadeus. (Photo: Archive)
Glenn Frey died in January from a long-standing intestinal complaint, which he attributed to a life of excess fuelled by alcohol and drugs. (Photo: Archive)
When a musician dies it’s always sad. Many of the names on this list of musicians who died in 2016 will be shocking. From David Bowie and Prince to George Michael, 2016 robbed us of some of music’s most important names.
