Cancer is a disease that claimed millions of people every year. It strikes indiscriminately regardless of how much money or fame you possess. Cancer has already claimed the lives of many famous actors, musicians and other celebrities in 2016. Here’s a list of recent celebrity deaths due to cancer:
March 13
Nik Green – former Blue Murder keyboardist has died after a brave battle with squamous cell cancer of the head, neck and lung.
March 10
Chris O’Dell (Norman Darby)- a much loved Black Country comedian and former naval engineer died at the age of 76 from lung cancer. “Keep Em Laffin” is his motto and he played jokes right until his last few days.
March 9
Naná Vasconcelos (Juvenal de Holanda Vasconcelos) – renowned Brazilian jazz percussionist and vocalist, eight-time Grammy Award winner died in Recifi Brazil at the age of 71. He was hospitalized for nine days before dying from lung cancer.
March 8
Bede Murray – pound-for-pound Australian horse trainer died after a long battle with cancer. He trained for more than 50 years in the racing industry and will be widely remembered as a legendary trainer.
March 4
Pat Conroy (Donald Patrick Conroy)- American author (The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline). He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but vowed to fight it, but has died surrounded by loved ones and family at the age of 70.
Joey Feek, (half of the country and gospel duo Joey + Rory) has passed away at 40 succumbing to cervical cancer. Her final months battling with cervical cancer were chronicled in a series of emotional posts on social media and her husband’s blog.
March 3
Sarah Tait (Sarah Anne Tait) – Australian world champion, three-time Olympian and Olympic-medal winning rower. She died following a battle with cervical cancer at 33. She was one of rowing’s most successful female athlete who only retired when she was diagnosed with cancer.
March 2
Roger Hickman (Roger James Hickman) – Australian yachtsman, winner of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race (Handicap, 2014) has died aged 61 after a battle with brain cancer.
March 1
Jim Kimsey (James Verlin Kimsey) – American technology executive, co-founder and CEO of internet service provider AmericaOnLine. He had been battling skin cancer (melanoma) for several years, his condition continued to deteriorate over the last few months. He was 76.
Gayle McCormick – American lead singer of Smith which recorded the 1969 top 10 song “Baby, It’s You” before going solo died following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. She was 67.
Feb. 28
Bill Anderson – New Zealand one-time voice of Manawatu Rugby Union and cricket broadcasting commentator, has died aged 73 from pancreatic cancer.
Feb. 27
James Atkins – American rock bassist for the 90’s hard rockers Hammerbox, has passed away at the age of 49 after suffering from oesophageal cancer.
Michael Bowes-Lyon – 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, Queen’s cousin and County Durham landowner has died after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 58.
David Douglas – American football player offensive lineman (Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots) who played five seasons in the NFL dies at age 52 from brain cancer. He was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013.
Bruce Golin – an Emmy-nominated producer (CSI, Knight Rider, Silk Stalkings), died at his home in Agoura, California, after a short battle with cancer. He was 58.
Gordon Ranney – an American rock bassist a founding member of Madison’s best-loved rock bands,The Gomers and Zombeatles), a popular live-band karaoke, died from lung cancer. He was 53.
Feb. 22
Yolande Fox (Yolande Betbeze) – American beauty queen (Miss America 1951) and operatic soprano dies at 87 from lung cancer in an assisted-living home in Washington. She is well-known for her rebellious nature, she refused to put on a bathing suit for photos, publicly criticized the pageant for excluding minorities and picketed for civil rights.
Feb. 21
John Caldwell – American freelance comic strip artist and cartoonist, died after battling pancreatic cancer. His cartoons have appeared in The National Lampoon, Writer’s Digest, The New Yorker, MAD, Playboy, Barron’s, Reader’s Digest, The Wall Street Journal, and Harvard Business Review. He was 69.
Feb. 18
Angela “Big Ang” Raiola star of “Mob Wives” and VH1 fan-favourite died at 55 after a difficult battle with throat, brain and lung cancer.
Brendan Healy – a British entertainer from North East England. Who worked as a musician, television actor, theatre writer and producer, and later, a comedian. He’s part of the “Geordie” pantomimes at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle. Brendan died of cancer aged 59.
Feb. 10
Bayard Johnson – American screenwriter who wrote Tarzan and the Lost City, he also wrote The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo. Bayard died in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. He was 63.
Feb. 9
Bob Halverson (Robert George Halverson), Australian politician, Speaker of the House of Representatives (1996–1998), MP (1984–1998), has died following a long battle with cancer, aged 78. He died on his beef cattle property at Holbrook, near Albury in southern NSW
Feb. 8
Margaret Forster – an English novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and literary critic. She wrote the novel Georgy Girl, which was made into a successful film. She suffered from breast cancer during the 1970’s and had a double mastectomy. She died in London after suffering from cancer in the back and spine. She was 77.
Feb. 7
Thomas Rea – American dermatologist and leprosy researcher whose discoveries led to the treatments of leprosy. He made the disease less contagious which allowed leprosy patients to live normal lives. He died from a form of blood cancer at age 86.
Feb. 6
Daniel Gerson – co-writer of “Monsters, Inc.” and “Big Hero 6”, he is best-known for his work with Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios has died of brain cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 49.
Dan Hicks (Daniel Ivan Hicks) an American singer-songwriter who combined cowboy folk, jazz, swing, country, bluegrass, pop, and gypsy music in his sound. He passed away following a two-year battle with liver cancer.
Feb. 4
Joe Alaskey – a voice actor who was the principal voice of multiple Looney Tunes characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Casper, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird died from cancer at age 63.
Feb. 2
Bob Elliott (Robert Brackett Elliott) – American actor and comedian, one-half of the legendary radio comedy duo Bob and Ray. He was the father of comedian Chris Elliott and grandfather of actress and comedian Abby Elliott. His son Chris Elliott confirmed the cause of his death was throat cancer. He died at his home in Cundy’s Harbour Maine, he was 92.
Jan. 31
Sir Terry Wogan (Sir Michael Terence Wogan) – radio and television broadcaster from Ireland who worked for the BBC in the United Kingdom for most of his career. He has died aged 77 following a short battle with cancer.
Jan. 23
Antony Emerson – son of the legendary tennis great Roy Emerson has died at the age of 52. Antony was diagnosed with brain and liver cancer last year.
Jimmy Bain – legendary bassist who had performed with Rainbow, Dio and, most recently, Last in Line, died suddenly at the age of 68 after a lost battle with lung cancer.
Jan. 19
Lou Michaels – is an American football player (Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts). In 1992 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. He died from pancreatic cancer at his home in Swoyersville, Pa. He was 80.
Jan. 17
Blowfly (Clarence Henry Reid) – an American musician and producer, this R&B artist influenced a generation of hip-hop artist with his innovative style of rapping. He has died at the age of 76 from liver cancer.
Jan. 16
Gary Loizzo, (Gary Alexander Loizzo) – American singer, guitarist, record producer and recording engineer. He is best known as the lead singer of The American Breed. He was 70, and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for the past two-and-a-half years.
Jan. 15
Dan Haggerty – American TV actor from the 70s and 80s (The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams) passed away after going through his own heartbreaking spinal cancer battle. Dan first discovered his cancer after undergoing back surgery, but the cancer was already too far along at that point, making his illness untreatable. He was 74.
Ken Judge – Australian football player for East Fremantle, Hawthorn, Brisbane Bears and coach for Hawthorn, West Coast Eagles. He passed away at 58 after a long battle with myeloma, a rare bone marrow cancer of the blood plasma cells.
Rex Morgan – is an American basketball icon who played for Boston Celtics. He died after a lengthy illness. He bravely battled throat cancer for the last six years of his life after being diagnosed with Stage 3 in 2010. He was 67.
Jan. 14
Alan Rickman – British legendary acting icon, best known for his role as Professor Snape in all eight of the Harry Potter movies. He was notorious for playing villains in movies, including Nottingham, Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Rasputin. He died at the age of 69 after going through his own cancer battle.
Rene Angelil – husband and manager of Celine Dion, died of throat cancer at age 73. He was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998, he resign in 2013 due to his declining health. Celine even suspended her Las Vegas residency to take care of her ailing husband.
Jan. 13
Brian Bedford – British actor who appeared on the stage and in film (Robin Hood, Nixon and Much Ado About Nothing). He is known for acting and directing Shakespeare productions. He died in Santa Barbara, California after a two-year battle with cancer.
Jan. 10
David Bowie – English singer-songwriter and musician is one of the most influential figures in the history of rock and roll. He died at the age of 69 two days after his 69th birthday, after an 18-month secret battle with liver cancer. The music legend was well-known in popular culture for his fashion, movie roles, Ziggy Stardust, Starman and hit songs like “Space Oddity,” “Fame” and “Let’s Dance.”
Jan. 9
Lance Rautzhan – 63, American baseball player who played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in the ‘70s died in Myrtle Beach South Carolina at 63 years old due to cancer.
Jan. 7
Richard Libertini (Richard Joseph Libertini) – American stage, film and television actor known for playing character roles in movies such as Fletch, All of Me and Popeye. The bald-and bearded actor is also known for his ability to speak in numerous accents. Libertini dies at the age of 82 after a two year long battle with cancer.
Jan. 2
Michel Delpech (Jean-Michel Delpech) – French singer-songwriter and actor who’s songs capture the mood of the 60’s and 70’s died in Paris after battling throat cancer. He was 69.
Brad Fuller (Brad Allen Fuller) – legendary American video game composer for Atari. Some of his works include Tetris, Donkey Kong, Marble Madness, Blasteroids and Gauntlet II. He died after a long battle with an aggressive form of pancreatic cancer at age of 62.
Jan. 1
Brian Johns (Brian Francis Johns AO) was an Australian company director, journalist and former managing director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1995–2000). He was credited for taking the national broadcaster into the digital age, he died in Sydney from cancer at the age of 79.
Tony Lane is an American art director for Rolling Stone Magazine in the 1970s was responsible for designing some of the most iconic album covers for artist like Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Simon and Garfunkel. He died on his home in Oakland California from complications related to brain cancer. He was 71.
