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Remembering the departed of 2016

Date:

The year 2016 has witnessed some of our best-loved personalities who left us for heavenly abode.

From actors and famous politicians to musicians, it’s time to remember these renowned personalities who are no longer with us.
Take a look back in memoriam of 20 world leaders, celebrities, athletes and other notables who sadly died in 2016, looking back at their lives, careers and lasting memories they have left behind.

J&K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Born on 12 January 1936, Sayeed had been the leader of the Congress party until 1987. In 1987, he quit INC and joined V P Singh’s Jan Morcha.
Sayeed was also the first Muslim leader for Home Affairs in the Union Cabinet 1989.
He left Congress in 1999 along with his daughter Mehbooba Mufti and formed his own party People Democratic Party (PDP).

Legendary Artist Dawid Bowey

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

One of the most influential recording artists of all the time passed away on 10 January 2016, due to throat Cancer. He was 69.
He was a legendary singer, songwriter, and producer, who excelled at the glam rock, hard rock and soul rock, punk and electronica during over his 40-year career. He was a popular figure in music for over 4 decades and was known as an innovator. His first song space oddity reached the top 5 UK Singles chart after its release in 1969.

Harry Potter Actor Alan Rickman

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Actor Alan Rickman, known for his movies including ‘Harry Potter’, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, passed away on 14 January 2016 due to cancer.
One of the best loved and most admired actors of the past three decades. Rickman gained wider notice for his performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in Harry Potter series.He also won BAFTA Award for his role in ‘RobinHood.’

Legendary dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Padma Bhushan recipient Mrinalini Sarabhai passed away on 21 January 2016 in Ahmadabad. She was 97.
Besides being a classic dancer, Sarabhai was a well-known poet, social activist and environmentalist. She was one of the first classical dancers to turn to choreography.
She was the founder & director of Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, drama and music in Ahmadabad. She was the Chairperson of Gujarat Handicraft and Handlooms Development Corporation Ltd.
She was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 1992 and Padma Vibhushan for the contribution in the field of Dancing in 1965.
Her Autobiography titled:
Mrinalini Sarabhai: The Voice of the Heart.

ALSO READ: 10 small everyday changes you should make in 2017

Noted Cartoonist Sudhir Tailang.

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Cartoonist Sudhir Tailang died on 6 February 2016, due to Cancer in Gurgaon. He was 55.
Sudhir Tailang who chronicled Indian Politics with humour received Padma Shri in 2004. He also launched a cartoon series book titled, No, Prime Minister, with a series of Cartoons on former PM Manmohan Singh.
He was born in Bikaner on 26 February 2016. Sudhir Tailang came out with his first cartoon in 1970 and started his career as a cartoonist with Weekly of India in Mumbai 1962.
His last assignment was with The Asian Age.

Renowned Urdu Poet Nida Fazli

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Noted Urdu Poet and a well known Bollywood Artist Nida Fazli died on 8 February 2016 due to the heart attack in Mumbai. She was 78.
One of his popular film songs were ‘Aa Bhi Jaa’ (Sur), ‘Tu is tarah meri Zindagi mein’ ( Ap to Aise naa the) and ‘Hosh walon ko khabar kya’ (Sarfarosh).
His most popular and acclaimed shers include ‘Duniya Jise kehte hain jaadu ka khilona hai, Mil jae to mitti hai, Kho jae to sona hai’.
Nida Fazli was born on 12 October 1938 in Delhi, to a Kashmiri Family.
He moved to Mumbai at an early age in search of Job and started working for ‘Blitz’ and ‘Dharamyuddh’.
Awards:
Khusro Award
Hindi Urdu Sangam Award
Sahitya Acadamy Award for ‘Khoya hua sa Kuch’ in 1998.
National Harmony award for writing in communal Harmony and many more awards.

Jazz Singer and Grammy Nominee Ernestine Anderson

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Globally renowned Jazz singer Ernestine Anderson passed away on 10 March 2016 in Seattle. She was 69.Over the course of the six-decade career; she received four Grammy Nominations and released 30 albums.
She worked with some of the famous legends of the time like Russell Jacquet, Shifty Henry and Johnny Otis in early 1940’s.
She received her Golden Umbrella Award from Seattle’s Bumbershoot Arts Festival in 2002.

Renowned Commentator Tony Cozier

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Famous WestIndian Cricket Writer, Commentator and Journalist Tony Cozier passed away on 11 May 2016 in Barbados. He was 78.
He was described as having an encyclopaedic knowledge of Cricket.
During his commentating career, he covered every Wisden Trophy series except one.

Nirankari Spiritual Leader Baba Hardev Singh

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Baba Hardev Singh, the chief of Nirankari Mission and the spiritual leader, died on 13 May 2016 in a road accident in Canada.
Born on February 23, 1954, Baba Hardev Singh became the member of Nirankari Seva Dal in 1971.
He established Nirankari Museum in Sant Nirankari Sarovar complex in New Delhi.
He had around 15 million followers in the world.

Hero group co-founder Satyanand Munjal

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Hero Cycles group’s co-founder Satyanand Munjal passed away in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was 99. He was popularly called as ‘mahatma’ Satyanand Munjal for being devoted to several social causes related to the Arya Samaj.
He played an important role in the success of Hero Group, starting from bicycles spare parts with his three brothers. He had served as the co-chairman and Managing director of Hero Cycles.
He was known for his philanthropic acts such as Bahadur Chand Munjal (BJM) Arya Schools and BJM Heart Institute.

ALSO READ: Splits and Hitches of 2016

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

American boxing legend Muhammad Ali passed away after a 32-year struggle with Parkinson’s disease in Phoenix, Arizona. He was 74. He was three times world heavyweight winner (1964, 1974 and 1978) who had trend-setting boxing career, which presented him as one of the best-known figures of the 20th century. He was also recognised globally for his civil rights activism.
Honours: Sports Illustrated had honoured him as “Sportsman of the Century” and BBC had characterised him as “Sports Personality of the Century”
He was also the author of various best-selling books including The Greatest: My Own Story and The Soul of a Butterfly.

Noted Pakistani Qawwal Amjad Sabri

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Renowned Qawwal singer Amjad Sabri, who was well-known for his song Haji Piya, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Karachi, Pakistan on 22 June 2016.
He was popularly called as the ‘Rockstar of Qawwali’, due to his modern form of rendition. He was one of the best musicians and qawwals of Pakistan.
His famous songs:
More Haji Piya
Tajdar-e-Haram
Khwaja ki deewani and much more.

Noted Tabla maestro Lachu Maharaj

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Pandit Lachu Maharaj or Lakshmi Narayan Singh belonged to Banaras Gharana of classical music.
Pandit Lachu Maharaj passed away in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh due to cardiac arrest. He was 73 years old. Lacchu Maharaj was a distinguished classical Tabla player and was internationally recognised and his table performance had drawn the attraction of the authority of performing arts from across the world.
He was globally recognised for his pure Banarasi form. His unique technique of playing table linked with perfection had merited him fame as Lachu Maharaj.

Comedian Gene Wilder

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Gene Wilder, the actor of the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” as well as many Mel Brooks comedies, died at the age of 83.

He died while listening to one of his favourite singers, Ella Fitzgerald perform Somewhere Over The Rainbow.  He was recognised as a ‘comic genius’ whose timing made him a favourite of Hollywood directors.

Renowned writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal after a multi-organ failure. She was 91. Her articles had largely centred on the marginalised communities in the nation and served as the voice of the oppressed and downtrodden.
As a social worker, she was the founder member of Aboriginal United Association and had started a tribal magazine called Bortika in 1980.
In a literary work of more than 50 years, she has written over 120 books. She was the writer of award-winning Hindi movies like Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (1998) and Rudaali.

Veteran Carnatic Music legend M Balamuralikrishna

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Renowned vocalist, playback singer and composer Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna passed away due to age-related geriatric issues in Chennai. He was 86. He was recognised as the doyen of classical Carnatic music.
During his great musical career, he had excelled as a notable Carnatic vocalist, playback singer, composer and actor.
Born on 6 July 1930 in Sankaraguptam, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, he commenced his musical career at the tender age of 8.
He had innovated the entire Carnatic music practice by holding its precious tradition untouched. He has performed in over 25 thousand concerts.
His compositions vary from Devotional to Varnams, Krithis, Javalis and Thillans, in all the major 72 melakartha ragas to film music.

Cuba’s former President Fidel Castro

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

The leader of the Communist revolution and the Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro passed on November 25, 2016. He was 90.
He was commander in chief of the Cuban revolution 1959 and had strongly established a communist state on the doorstep of the United States during the time of Cold War. He had ruled Cuba from 1976 to 2008 before delivering the leadership to his brother Raul Castro in 2008.
He was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, Holguin Province, Cuba and named as Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz.
In 1956, Castro along with Che Guevara began a guerrilla war against the Cuban government led by US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Under his administration, Cuba became a one-party communist state, industries and commerce were nationalised and state socialist improvements implemented throughout the country.
He was the world’s third longest-serving commander of a state, after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the King of Thailand.

King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej passed away on 13 October 2016 at Bangkok. He was 88.
He was the ninth monarch of Thailand from the Chakri Dynasty as Rama 9. He was popularly called as King Bhumibol the Great.
He was the world’s longest-serving head of a state and longest running monarch in Thai History. He served for 70 years and 127 days.

ALSO READ: Meghalaya: Journey to the ‘abode of clouds’

The Puratchi Thalaivi Selvi J Jayalalithaa

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa who suffered a cardiac arrest on December 4, passed away on December 5, 2016. She was 68. AIADMK Supremo breathed her last at 11:30 PM at Apollo Hospital Chennai.
Popularly called as ‘Amma‘, J Jayalalithaa was an actor-turned-politician. She entered politics under the guidance of former CM of Tamil Nadu MGR.
She entered Rajya Sabha in 1984. She became the CM of the state in 1991.
She was the pioneer of various social sector schemes like ‘Amma Canteens’, ‘Amma Water’, ‘Amma Salts’ etc.

George Michael

Tony Cozier, Ernestine Anderson, Nida Fazli, Sudhir Tailang, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Alan Rickman, Dawid Bowey, People Democratic Party, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed,

British pop superstar George Michael, who ruled the charts in the 1980s with hits like “If You Were There”, “I’m Your Man” and “Everything She Wants”, has died at the age of 53 on December 25, 2016.

Michael, who rose to fame with his group “Wham!”, was known for hits “Club Tropicana” and “Last Christmas” with his co-member Andrew Ridgeley. He also had a highly successful solo career which included the songs “Careless Whisper”, “Faith,” “Outside” and “Freedom! 90”.

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