For balance!
From David Bowie in early January to Prince last week with Alan Rickman, Terry Wogan, Ronnie Corbett, Garry Shandling and Victoria Wood and many others in between, 2016 has been a grim year. But this is not some unfortunate statistical blip as many have reported.
Wikipedia - who keep a tally of the deaths of people who merit their own substantial Wikipedia page, say that there were more famous deaths between January 1 and April 21 in 2015 (2,202) than there have been in the same time period this year (2,109).
The Wikipedia survey is instructional as they define “famous” to include prominent members of the clergy or academia. Social media most definitely doesn’t.
The bar for “fame” has been considerably lowered. One of the names to have died this year, David Gest, is a perfect example of how the definition has evolved.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
Updated On: 4/26/16 at 12:46 PM