The famous faces we have lost in 2016

The Star Wars actress’s passing follows the deaths of Status Quo rocker Rick Parfitt on Christmas Eve and singing icon George Michael on Christmas Day.

They are the latest in a steady stream of high-profile deaths that rocked the entertainment industry in 2016.

The music industry suffered one blow after the next with the loss of David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen and Glenn Frey among others, and the world of television and comedy said goodbye to beloved figures such as Sir Terry Wogan, Victoria Wood, Ronnie Corbett, Andrew Sachs and Paul Daniels.

Bowie’s death from liver cancer on January 10, two days after his 69th birthday and the release of his last album Blackstar, prompted an outpouring of grief.

Actor Alan Rickman, best known for his roles in the Harry Potter film series and in Die Hard, died four days later of pancreatic cancer, at the same age as Bowie.

Eagles frontman Frey died four days after that at 67 and broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan died on January 31 at 77.

To Kill A Mockingbird author Harper Lee died on February 19 at the age of 89, less than a year after her literary comeback with the publication of Go Set A Watchman.

The world of music suffered another loss with the death of producer Sir George Martin, who was hailed as the fifth Beatle and died aged 90 on March 6.

March also brought the deaths of magician Daniels of a brain tumour at the age of 77 and of comedian Corbett at 85, having been diagnosed with a suspected form of motor neurone disease.

Reality TV star and music producer David Gest, who was once married to Liza Minnelli, died aged 62 on April 12 and Dinnerladies comedian Victoria Wood died after a battle with cancer at the same age on April 20.

The following day superstar singer Prince was found dead from a fentanyl overdose at the age of 57 at his Paisley Park recording studio and home while t he death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin shocked film fans on June 19.

The star was just 27 when he was killed when his own car rolled down his driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence.

Caroline Aherne, star and writer of The Royle Family and The Mrs Merton Show, died of lung cancer aged 52 on July 2 and Kenny Baker, who played droid R2D2 in the Star Wars films, died aged 81 on August 13.

The film world lost Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, on August 28 at 83 while f ormer Coronation Street actress Jean Alexander, who played Hilda Ogden, died aged 90 on October 14 and Dead or Alive founder and singer Pete Burns died aged 57 on October 23.

The death at 82 of Canadian singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen, who penned the classic song Hallelujah, was announced on November 11 and prompted an outpouring of grief that often used his own mournful lyrics.

The loss of Andrew Sachs, best-known for playing Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers, was announced on December 1. He was 86.

Peter Vaughan, who starred in Game Of Thrones and Porridge, died aged 93 on December 6 and f ormer King Crimson frontman Greg Lake died aged 69 two days later. Sunday Times journalist AA Gill died of cancer aged 62 two days after that.

Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke led tributes to his father Alan, star of Growing Pains, on December 14 and Hollywood actress and socialite Zsa Zsa Gabor died just shy of her 100th birthday after a heart attack on December 19.