There is little doubt that 2016 was a catastrophic year for music legends. In this category, especially when it comes to broad rock genre, the tally is particularly troubling because some of those who died left an irreversible mark on the entire music history. They might have lived on different continents when they became rock stars and made different types of music, but all of them were incredible in their own right. Here is the list of the biggest rock stars we lost and who sadly left this world in the same year.  

David Bowie

david bowie stars we lostThe news of David Bowie passing was met with shock and dismay because very little information was available about his health condition. But, once the news broke, the entire music world was saddened to its core, mainly because the world of Ziggy Stardust was so prominent in the generations that followed his incredible initial success. Always the cutting-edge artists, Bowie managed to stay relevant up to the year of his death, when he released his final album Blackstar, an eerie contemplation on the end of life Bowie at that time knew was coming. As a true giant of rock, he will be missed on an unexplainable level.      

Prince

prince_at_coachella_001The pop sensation was always more than a flamboyant guitar player with a high-pitched voice. In fact, Prince was a genius at what he did, crafting songs that blended rock and pop like no one did before or after him. The moment of death found Prince in his home, where the interplay of prescription drugs and other substances lead to his untimely demise. Even though he stopped appearing frequently in the public limelight a decade ago as frequently as he did when he was at the pinnacle of his fame, Prince’s passing was still a huge shock for his fans but the music world, both of which lost a really unique voice and talent.      

Leonard Cohen

One of those rare individuals that go be compared successfully to Bob Dylan, Cohen managed to take the idea of being a poet and turn it into something millions could enjoy on an unprecedented level. In his career, which spanned over a half a century, Cohen made music that touched the hearts of everyone who cherished a melancholic spirit and a brave heart. Now, with his passing at an old age, the world and musicians could really say that he was a man who, like a bird on a wire, tried and succeeded to be, in his own way, free.      

Keith Emerson

220px-keith_emerson_stpetersburg_aug08The keyboardist of the seminal band Emerson Lake and Palmer also left the world of the living in 2016. His death is maybe most tragic because he decided and carried out a suicide at the age of 71 after a period of depression and degenerative nerve illness. As one of the bands that reimagined the rock genre in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Emerson Lake and Palmer provided what not many musicians could and made rock stars into smart and innovative creators. Emerson will be forever remembered as one of the men who made this possible.    

In Conclusion ..,.

Now, as we remember those rock stars that are no longer with us, we can only wish that they rest in peace and thank them for being such fantastic musicians for all of us and those who will yet discover their incredible music.    

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Who are some other rock stars we lost in 2016?

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