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Stephen Hawking - The world famous physicist suffered from a motor neuron disease most of his life, and he left us on March 14, aged 76.

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Davide Astori - Davide was an Italian soccer player and captain of Fiorentina. He passed away suddenly on March 4, aged just 31, causing an outpouring of grief in the soccer community.

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Hubert de Givenchy - The designer was famous for designing the iconic dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.' He passed away in March, aged 91.

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Dennis Edwards - The frontman of The Temptations passed away in Chicago in February of this year, just two days before turning 75.

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Edwin Jackson - In February another sports star passed away unexpectedly. Indiana Colts star Edwin Jackson was killed in a car accident.

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John Mahoney - Best remembered for playing Martin Crane, the father of Frasier and Niles in 'Frasier.' Mahoney passed away in February, aged 77.

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Jan Maxwell - We also said farewell to Broadway star Jan Maxwell, who passed away in February, aged 61.

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Didier Lockwood - The French violinist played in the world's foremost concert halls and theaters. He passed away in February, aged 62.

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Emma Chambers - Best known for appearing in 'The Vicar of Dibley' and 'Notting Hill' with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, Chambers passed away in February, aged just 53.

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Billy Graham - The evangelist and minister died in February, aged 99.

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Nanette Fabray - The comedian and winner of three Emmy awards left us in February, aged 97.

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Reg Cathey - The actor won an Emmy for his performance in 'House of Cards' in 2015. Unfortunately he passed away in February, aged 60.

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Sridevi Kapoor - Kapoor was a Bollywood legend, and another star who was taken away from us early. She passed away at just 54 years of age in February.

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Hugh Masekela - Jazz fans mourned the loss of a great in January: the father of South African jazz passed on aged 78.

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Ursula K. Le Guin - The American writer who distinguished herself in the fantasy and sci-fi genres passed away in January, aged 88.

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Mark E. Smith - The lead singer of The Fall passed away in January, aged 60.

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Connie Sawyer - The American Connie Sawyer dedicated her life to acting and died aged 105.

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Jimmy Armfield - The former English player and manager passed away in January, aged 82.

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Dorothy Malone - She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for 'Written on the Wind' (1956), and she passed away in January, aged 92.

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Paul Bocuse - The renowned French chef passed in January, aged 92.

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Willi Melliger - The Swiss horse rider reached the pinnacle of sporting achievement when he won Olympic medals. He passed away in January, aged 64.

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Cyrille Regis - Another big loss for sport, the former player and manager broke down barriers as one of the first black players to represent England. He passed away this year, aged 59.

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France Gall - The French singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965 left us in January. She was 70 years old.

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Terence Marsh - The director won Oscar awards for 'Doctor Zhivago' (1965) and 'Oliver!' (1968), passed away in January, aged 86.

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Dan Gurney - The world of race car driving bid farewell to the former driver and legend of American car racing in January. Gurney was 86.

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Ingvar Kamprad - The Swedish businessman and founder of IKEA died aged 91 in January.

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Dave Holland - The British musician and drummer of Judas Priest passed away in January, aged 69.

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Jerry Van Dyke - The actor and comedian passed away in January, aged 86.

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Jo Jo White - The world of basketball also suffered a big loss with the passing of Jo Jo White in January at the age of 71.

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Robert Dowdell - He will be best remembered for 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' (1961). He was 85 when he passed away in January.

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Lari White - The actress and country singer was 52 when she passed away in January.

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Bob Smith - He was the first comedian to publicly come out as gay. He was 59 when he passed away in January.

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Peter Wyngarde - The British actor will be remembered as writer turned investigator Jason King in 'Department S.' He was 90 years old when he passed away in January.

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Fredo Santana - January also saw the tragically early passing of American rapper Fredo Santana at just 27 years of age. (CC BY 2.0: Flickr)

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Mark Salling - The American actor was best known for appearing in 'Glee.' He was found dead on January 30, aged just 35.

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Dolores O'Riordan - The singer of Irish band The Cranberries left us aged just 46 in January.

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