1 share Celebrity deaths in 2017: Famous people who died this year (photos)

2016 was a rough year for celebrity deaths: Alan Rickman, David Bowie, Prince, Florence Henderson, Muhammad Ali, Anton Yelchin, George Michael, Arnold Palmer, Sharon Jones, John Glenn, Alan Thicke, Glenn Frey, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds and more. It made it easy to believe in the myth that "celebrity deaths come in threes."

Famous people who died in 2017 include actress Mary Tyler Moore, rock-and-roll legend Chuck Berry, TCM host Robert Osborne, comedian Charlie Murphy, The Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks, Oscar-nominated actor John Hurt, "People's Court" Judge Joseph Wapner, actor Bill Paxton, wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and more actors, musicians, athletes and entertainers. 

Here's a list of notable people we've said goodbye to in 2017:

• David Meltzer, Rochester-born beat poet, author, and musician, died Dec. 31, 2016 at 79. His death was announced Jan. 2.
• Francine York, actress with more than 100 film and TV credits including "The Doll Squad," "The Family Man" and "Days of Our Lives," died Jan. 6 at 80.
• Peter Sarstedt, British singer-songwriter best known for the 1969 UK hit "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)," died Jan. 8 at 75.
• Buddy Greco, jazz vocalist, pianist and Las Vegas performer who recorded more than 60 albums, died Jan. 10 at age 90.
• William Peter Blatty, Oscar-nominated writer for "The Exorcist," died Jan. 12 at 89.
• Tommy Allsup, guitarist best known for missing the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper on "The Day the Music Died," died Jan. 12 at 85.
• "Magic Alex" Mardas, psychedelic artist, early Apple Corps. employee and Beatles "guru," died Jan. 13 at 74.
• Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, wrestling star and WWE Hall of Famer, died Jan. 15 at 73.
• William Onyeabor, Nigerian funk pioneer and David Byrne collaborator, died Jan. 16 at 70.
• Gene Cernan, last U.S. astronaut to walk on the moon, died Jan. 16 at 82.
• Loalwa Braz, Brazilian singer best known for the 1989 hit "Lambada" with Koama, was found dead at age 63 in a burnt-out car near Rio De Janeiro on Jan. 19.
• Miguel Ferrer, actor in "Twin Peaks," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "RoboCop," died Jan. 19 of cancer at age 61.
• Ronald "Bingo" Mundy, The Marcels singer best known for doo-wop hit "Blue Moon," died Jan. 20 at 76.
• Jaki Liebezeit, drummer and founding member of progressive rock band Can, died Jan. 22 at 78. 
• Yordano Ventura, Kansas City Royals pitcher, and former MLB baseball player Andy Marte both died Jan. 22 in separate car crashes in the Dominican Republic. Ventura was 25 and Marte was 33.
• Peter Overend Watts, bassist for Mott the Hoople, died Jan. 22 at 69 after a battle with throat cancer.
• Masaya Nakamura, Namco founder, arcade pioneer and the 'Father of Pac-Man,' died Jan. 22 at 91.
• Lee "Q" O'Denat, WorldStarHipHop founder, died Jan. 23 of heart disease at age 43.
• Bimba Bose, Spanish singer, model and TV personality, died Jan. 23 at age 41 after a battle with breast cancer.
• Butch Trucks, The Allman Brothers Band drummer and co-founder, died Jan. 24 at 69 after a self-inflicted gunshot.
• Mary Tyler Moore, iconic actress best known for roles on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," died Jan. 25 at 80.
• Tom Edwards, Adam Ant guitarist and music director, died Jan. 25 at 41 of heart failure.
• Mike Connors, best known for playing TV's "Mannix," died Jan. 26 at 91.
• Barbara Hale, actress who played Della Street on 'Perry Mason,' died Jan. 26 at 94.
• Charles Shackleford, former NBA player who famously referred to himself as "amphibious" instead of ambidextrous while at N.C. State, died Jan. 27 at 50.
• John Hurt, Oscar-nominated actor in 'The Elephant Man,' '1984,' 'Harry Potter' and 'V for Vendetta,' died Jan. 27 at 77.
• Emmanuelle Riva, Oscar-nominated French actress in 'Amour' and 'Hiroshima Mon Amour,' died Jan. 27 at 89.
• Geoff Nicholls, keyboardist for Black Sabbath, died Jan. 28 at 68 after a battle with lung cancer.
• John Wetton, Asia co-founder and King Crimson member, died Jan. 31 at 67 after a battle with colon cancer.
• Frank Pellegrino, actor in "The Sopranos" and "Goodfellas," died Jan. 31 at 72.
• David Axelrod, jazz musician, composer and producer sampled by hip-hop artists like Lauryn Hill, Dr. Dre and DJ Shadow, died Feb. 5 at 83.
• Irwin Corey, the king of comedic confusion and "World's Foremost Authority," died Feb. 6 at 102.
• Richard Hatch, "Battlestar Galactica" star, died Feb. 7 at 71 after a battle with cancer.
• Mike Ilitch, Little Caesars Pizza founder and owner of the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers, died Feb. 10 at 87.
• Fab Melo, former Syracuse basketball star and Boston Celtics draft pick, died Feb. 11 at age 26.
• Junie Morrison, keyboardist for Parliament-Funkadelic and the Ohio Players, died Feb. 11 at 62.
• Al Jarreau, Grammy-winning jazz singer, died Feb. 12 at 76.
• Trish Doan, bassist for metal band Kittie, died Feb. 13 at 31.
• Nicole Bass, former WWE wrestler and "Howard Stern Show" regular, died the week of Feb. 13 at 52 of a heart attack.
• George 'The Animal' Steele, wrestling star for nearly 50 years and a WWE Hall of Famer, died Feb. 17 at 79.
• Leonard Myers, NFL star who famously sold his 2001 Super Bowl ring with New England Patriots, died Feb. 17 at 38 after a cancer battle.
• Peter Skellern, 'You're a Lady' singer who became a priest in England, died Feb. 17 at 69.
• Warren Frost, actor on 'Twin Peaks' and 'Seinfeld,' died Feb. 17 at 91.
• Clyde Stubblefield, frequently sampled 'Funky Drummer' for James Brown, died Feb. 18 at 73.
• Larry Coryell, jazz guitarist known as the 'Godfather of Fusion,' died Feb. 19 at 73.
• Brenda Buttner, Fox News host of 'Bulls & Bears,' died Feb. 20 at 55 after a cancer battle.
• Alan Colmes, former co-host of Fox News' 'Hannity & Colmes,' died Feb. 23 at 66.
• Horace Parlan, jazz pianist who overcame partial paralysis in his right hand, died Feb. 23 at 86.
• Leon Ware, soul singer who wrote songs for Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and Motown stars, died Feb. 23 at 77.
• Bill Paxton, actor in "Apollo 13," "Aliens," "Titanic" and "Twister," died Feb. 25 of complications from heart surgery at age 61.
• Neil Fingleton, UK's tallest man at 7'7" and actor on "Game of Thrones" and "Avengers: Age of Ultron," died Feb. 25 of heart failure at age 36.
• Joseph Wapner, real-life judge on "The People's Court" TV series, died Feb. 26 at 97.
• Gustav Metzger, 'auto-destructive' artist who inspired The Who's Pete Townshend to smash his guitars, died March 1 at 90.
• Tommy Page, "I'll Be Your Everything" singer, NKOTB collaborator and Billboard publisher, died March 3 at 46 of an apparent suicide.
• Robert Osborne, Turner Classic Movies host and film historian, died March 6 at 84.
• Joni Sledge, "We Are Family" singer with Sister Sledge, died March 10 at 60.
• John Lever, drummer for cult UK post-punk band The Chameleons, died March 13 at 55.
• Amy Krouse Rosenthal, best-selling author and "Modern Love" columnist, died March 13 at 51 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
• James Cotton, Grammy-winning blues harmonica player, died March 16 at 81.
• Derek Walcott, Nobel Laureate and Tony-nominated writer, died March 17 at 87.
• Auntie Fee, YouTube cooking sensation also known as Chef Sista Girl, died March 17 at 59.
• Chuck Berry, rock and roll legend behind hits "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Maybelline," died March 18 at 90.
• Bernie Wrightson, acclaimed horror comic artist who co-created Swamp Thing, died March 18 at 68.
• Jimmy Breslin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, died March 19 at 86.
• Mike Aktari, 'Jerseylicious' reality TV star on the Style Network, died March 20 at 28.
• Chuck Barris, "The Gong Show" host-creator and producer of "The Dating Game," died March 21 at 87.
• Sib Hashian, drummer for the band Boston's first two albums including the 1976 hit 'More Than a Feeling,' died March 22 after collapsing on stage on a rock cruise ship.
• Clay Adler, reality star on MTV's "Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County," died March 25 of a self-inflicted gunshot.
• Darlene Cates, actress who played Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio's mother in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," died March 26 at 69.
• Clem Curtis, original lead singer for The Foundations on the soul hit "Baby Now That I've Found You," died March 27 at 76.
• Rosie Hamlin, lead singer of Rosie and the Originals best known for 'Angel Baby,' died March 30 at 70.
• Lonnie Brooks, legendary Chicago blues musician, died April 1 at 83.
• Paul O'Neill, founder of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, died April 5 at 61.
• Don Rickles, king of insult comedy, died April 6 at age 90.
• David Peel, early punk rock musician and friend of John Lennon, died April 6 at 74.
• Peter Hansen, soap opera star who played Lee Baldwin on 'General Hospital' for five decades, died April 9 at 95.
• John Clarke, New Zealand comedian, actor and satirist, died April 9 at 68.
• J. Geils, "Centerfold" guitarist and founder of the J. Geils Band, died April 11 at 71.
• Dorothy Mengering, David Letterman's mom and "The Late Show" contributor, died April 11 at 95.
• Toby Smith, Jamiroquai co-founder and 'Virtual Insanity' keyboardist, died April 11 at 46.
• Charlie Murphy, comedian, "Chappelle's Show" star who co-wrote some of his brother Eddie Murphy's movies, died April 12 at 57.
• Bruce Langhorne, guitarist and Bob Dylan collaborator who inspired "Mr. Tambourine Man" song, died April 14 at 78.
• Allan Holdsworth, innovative guitarist who inspired Van Halen and Joe Satriani, died April 15 at 70.
• Clifton James, actor who played Sheriff J.W. Pepper in James Bond films "Live and Let Die" and "The Man with the Golden Gun," died April 15 at 96.
• Matt Anoa'i, WWE star known as 'Rosey' and older brother of Roman Reigns, died April 17 at 47.
• Aaron Hernandez, former New England Patriots football star, died April 19 at 27 of suicide while serving a life sentence in prison.
• Cuba Gooding Sr., "Everybody Plays the Fool" singer with The Main Ingredient and father of Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., died April 20 at 72.