List of Famous people who died in 2016

William Raymond Smith III was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. Smith was shot and killed during an altercation after an alcohol related traffic crash.

Jean-Michel Delpech, known as Michel Delpech, was a French singer-songwriter and actor.

Elizaveta Petrovna Glinka was a Russian humanitarian worker and charity activist. She was honoured three times with state awards for her work. Glinka died in the 2016 Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 crash.

David Hamilton was a British photographer and film director best known for his photography of young women and girls, mostly in the nude. His signature soft focus style was called the "Hamilton Blur", which was erroneously thought to be achieved by smearing Vaseline on the lens of his camera. It was not created that way. ^{Citation needed} Hamilton's images became part of an "art or pornography" debate.

Maurice White was an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the founder, leader, main songwriter, and producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, and served as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey. Described as a "visionary" by Vibe and a "mastermind" by Variety, White was nominated for a total of 22 Grammys, of which he won seven. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame as a member of Earth, Wind & Fire, and was also inducted individually into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He additionally worked with artists such as Deniece Williams, Cher, the Emotions, Barbra Streisand, Ramsey Lewis, and Neil Diamond.

Ronald Earle Glass was an American actor. He was known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), and as the spiritual Shepherd Derrial Book in the science-fiction series Firefly (2002) and its sequel film Serenity (2005).

Gisela May was a German actress and singer.

Kunnisseri Veettil Raman Mani, better known by his stage name Kalabhavan Mani, was an Indian film actor and singer. Mani started his career as a mimicry artist with the Kalabhavan comedy troupe. He had starred in over 200 films, including Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu films, and was renowned for his humorous characters and villain roles.

Vladimir Mikhailovich Zeldin was a Soviet and Russian theatre and cinema actor. A centenarian, he was among the longest-serving stage performers and continued acting up until his death.

Rashaan Iman Salaam was an American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons during the 1990s. Salaam played college football for the University of Colorado and won the 1994 Heisman Trophy. He was picked by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Bears and Cleveland Browns of the NFL. Salaam died by suicide on December 5, 2016.