theworld lostacreativeicon.

once-in-an-era losses, right up there with John Lennon in 1980 or KurtCobain in 1994, twomen we lost in their primes.While Bowie was older, and had been quietly ill, heseemed to be ageless, his talent timeless.

Itwas hard to imagine the music world experiencing loss like thatfor quite some time. But of course, that wasnot to be. The word of Prince’sdeath on April 21 registered another powerful blow as fans struggled to come to terms with the departure of one of the most stunningly diverseand original creative forces in music history.

Prince’spassing followed right on the heels of the loss of Haggard, a legend whose “everyman” approach to songwriting made him as important to country music as Prince and Bowie were to their genres.

With Leonard Cohen, the timing of his death wasparticularly profound. The announcement came just two days aftera tumultuous election, with his fan base still reeling. The loss of the prolific songwriter with a gentle, haunted soul only served to add to the sadness, the minor chords of his “Hallelujah” an appropriate closing song for the reality-altering year.

Musicsilenced

Natalie Cole (Feb.6,1950-Dec.31,2015)

The daughter of NatKing Cole won multiple Grammysand sold over30 million albums.

Robert Stigwood (April 16,1934-Jan.4,2016)

Amultimedia juggernaut,whose many accomplishments include managingthe Bee Gees and producing “SaturdayNight Fever.”

Otis Clay (Feb.11,1942-Jan.8,2016)

The Mississippi native was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

David Bowie (Jan.8,1947-Jan.10,2016)

One of the great trendsettersin pop culture,Bowie thrived through decades of changing musical styles.

Mic Gillette (May 7,1951-Jan.17,2016)

The Oakland nativewas a founding memberof East Bay soul-R&B powerhouse Towerof Power.

Glenn Frey (Nov.6,1948-Jan.18,2016)

Afounding member of SoCal’sEagles,one of the topselling American bands of alltime.

PaulKantner (March 17,1941-Jan.28,2016)

His work with Jefferson Airplane helped define the psychedelic “San FranciscoSound” of the ’60s.

Signe Toly Anderson (Sept.15,1941-Jan.28,2016)

BeforeGraceSlick,Anderson was the originalfemale vocalist in Airplane.

Maurice White (Dec.19,1941-Feb.3,2016)

He founded Earth,Wind andFire,the hitmakers behind such classic cuts as “September” and “Shining Star.”

Dan Hicks (Dec.9,1941-Feb.6,2016)

The Marin County musician led Dan Hicks and the Hot Licksfor decades.

Vanity (Jan.4,1959-Feb.15,2016)

Longtime Fremont resident Denise Matthews (aka Vanity) was a Prince protegewho frontedthe band Vanity 6 in the ’80s.

Sir George Martin (Jan.3,1926-March 8,2016)

The “FifthBeatle” producedthe vast majority of the FabFour’srecords.

Keith Emerson (Nov.2,1944-March 10,2016)

The keyboardist was one-thirdof British prog-rock supergroup ELP (Emerson,Lake and Palmer).

Phife Dawg (Nov.20,1970-March 22,2016)

The longtime East Bayresident helped popularize a new brand of socially conscious hip-hop in the ’90s with A Tribe Called Quest.

Merle Haggard (April 6,1937-April 6,2016)

One of the greatest artists in country musichistory, he was in the same league with JohnnyCash and Hank Williams.

Prince (June 7,1958-April 21,2016)

He sold over100million albums,influenced countless musicians and boasted one of themost loyalfan bases of all time.

Lonnie Mack (July 18,1941-April 21,2016)

The blues guitaristwas considered an influence on well-knownfret men JeffBeck and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Guy Clark (Nov.6,1941-May 17,2016)

The Grammywinner has been coveredby Jimmy

Buffett,Lyle Lovettand Ricky Skaggs,among others.

Prince Be (May 15,1970-June 17,2016)

AttrellCordes (akaPrinceBe) was a founding member of the hip-hop group P.M.Dawn.

Ralph Stanley (Feb.25,1927-June 23,2016)

Having performed since the ’40s,this bluegrass master finally found mainstream success with the “O Brother,Where ArtThou?” soundtrack in the early 2000s.

Bernie Worrell Jr. (April 19,1944-June 24,2016)

The funk master is enshrinedin the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a memberof Parliament-Funkadelic.

ScottyMoore (December 27,1931 – June 28,2016)

The highly influential guitarist backed Elvis Presley.

RobWasserman (April 1,1952-June 29,2016)

The acclaimed BayArea bassist performed with Lou Reed,Jerry Garcia and manyothers.

BobbyHutcherson (Jan.27,1941-Aug.15,2016)

The longtime Montara resident was one of the greatest vibraphonists in jazzhistory.

TootsThielemans (April 29,1922-Aug.22,2016)

He was a pioneeringjazzharmonica player.

Juan Gabriel (Jan.7,1950-Aug.28,2016)

He was a towering figure in Latin music.

Jean Shepard (Nov.21,1933-Sept.25,2016)

The country musicpioneer was knownfor the 1953 million-seller“ADear John Letter.”

Sir NevilleMarriner (April 15,1924-Oct.2,2016)

The acclaimed classical music violinist/conductoris best known for his soundtrack work on the Oscarwinning film“Amadeus.”

Leonard Cohen (Sept.21,1934-Nov.7,2016)

One of the greatest songwriters in popularmusic history,hewas in the sameleague with Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson,Joni Mitchell,Smokey Robinson and Michael Stipe.

LeonRussell (April 2,1942-Nov.13,2016)

The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, whose many compositions include the oft-recorded “ASong for You,” was inductedinto the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Mose Allison (Nov.11,1927-Nov.15,2016)

An iconicjazz-blues singer-songwriter-pianist,he influenced countless other artists.

Greg Lake (Nov.10,1947-Dec.7,2016)

Guitaristand vocalist for British prog-rock supergroup ELP (Emerson,Lake and Palmer); bandmate Keith Emerson died in March.

JHARRINGTON@BAYAREANEWSGROUP.COM

In 2010, firefighters battle afireresulting from a high-pressure gas line explosion in SanBruno.