List of Famous people who died in 2016

Leslie Raymond Bassett was an American composer of classical music. Bassett received the 1966 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Bassett had a lifelong relationship with the University of Michigan School of Music. He received the MM there, and in 1956 was the recipient of the University's first DMA. Bassett was a member of the University of Michigan faculty from 1952 until 1992. Upon retirement from active teaching in 1992, he held the title of Albert A. Stanley Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Composition until his death in 2016.

Maurice Failevic was a French film director. A communist, he directed more than 50 films about class struggles, depicting the lives of members of the French working class, from peasants during the French Revolution to the unemployed, factory workers and banlieue dwellers in the 20th century. He directed films for cinema and television as well as documentaries.

Bülent Eken was a Turkish footballer and coach. He played most of his career at Galatasaray SK, but also played for Salernitana and Palermo in Italy. After his career he became a manager and he coached in Italy, In 1967, he went to Turkey as an assistant coach for Galatasaray SK. He coached the Turkey national football team during 1962. He represented his country at the 1948 Summer Olympics and the 1954 FIFA World Cup. Eken died on 25 July 2016, nineteen days after the death of his teammate Turgay Şeren.

Denis Dubourdieu was a French winemaker and professor of oenology at the University of Bordeaux. He managed or co-managed several properties in Bordeaux, including Château Reynon, Château Doisy Daëne, Château Cantegril, Château Haura, and Clos Floridène. He also consulted at Château Cheval Blanc.

Fabrizio Pirovano was an Italian professional motorcycle road racer from Biassono.

Antti Kalevi Hyry was a Finnish writer and recipient of the Eino Leino Prize in 2005. In 2009 his book Uuni (Oven) won the Finlandia Prize, Finland's premier prize for literature. It details a man's reflections as he collects cement and bricks to build an oven for his home. Antti Hyry was married to Maija Hyry.

John William Ashe was an Antiguan diplomat and politician. He was the President of the United Nations General Assembly at its 68th session, which ran September 2013 to September 2014. He was also President of the UNICEF Executive Board in 2012. He served as Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York of Antigua and Barbuda between 1995 and 2004.

Jean-Philippe Douin was a French Air Force general. He was the Chief of Staff of the French Air Force from 1994 to 1995 and Chief of the Defence Staff from 1995 to 1998. There was some controversy surrounding his appointment since, as a Conscript between 1958 and 1959, he had served in a French Marine Light Cavalry/Light Armored Reconnaissance Regiment in Algeria that was accused of committing war crimes during the Algerian War; later, as a young Air Force Lieutenant and Dassault Mirage III fighter pilot in 1961, his unit had taken part in the Algiers Putsch under the command of Air Vice Marashal Jouhaud. For most of his flying career, Douin piloted the Dassault Mirage III and the Dassault Mirage 5, commanding a squadron, wing and fighter group, before becoming the French Air Attache to Pakistan and Chile. After entering the General Ranks he served variously as a doctrinal specialist in the Air Force Staff & Training Command, the chief of Aerial Intelligence for a Fighter Division, and Commander of a Fighter Division.

Inocente José Carreño was a Venezuelan composer and academic. He won the Venezuelan National Prize for Music in 1989.

Maya Surduts was a Latvian-born, French activist and women's rights supporter. She considered herself to be a permanent revolutionary and lived in various countries including South Africa, Switzerland, the United States and Cuba protesting regimes which discriminated against or exploited people.