Billy Mays.

Ozzy Ozbourne.

Douglas Adams.

That was the first time it really hit home to me how much it hurts to lose real talent from this world.

Joan Rivers, I really miss Her, she was a comedic genius

Alexei Navalny's death really made me sad. Thought the guy would make it and usher a new era.

Dolores O'Riordan

John Peel. He was devoted to all music without prejudice or judgement, and was host on a BBC radio show for years and had on some of the greatest bands ever.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peel

Tom Petty and Whitney Houston. Two of my favourite singers of the 1980s and 1990s.

Chester Bennington didn't hit me at all — at first. Linkin Park had been growing out of favour with me, especially with regards to some of the things the band (and I think Chester) were saying about fans who preferred Hybrid Theory or Meteora to the newer stuff. Then I heard what Chester went through in his youth and how the music was therapy for him. It gave context to what he/the others said, and then it hit me. I hate that he felt he wasn't enough to overcome his demons, but I hope that his music makes the next person stronger. Truly a loss for humanity and the arts. Good on Linkin Park for forging ahead, though I didn't care for the new record. (Nothing against the singer, I just didn't like the album.)

It's worth noting that my favourite band was hand-picked by Chester to tour with them, but then he died and that didn't happen. The band is ONE OK ROCK, originally from Japan (based out of Los Angeles for the last 10 years, though, and most of their songs are in English, or at least their music since the move). They did fine without Linkin Park, but I would have loved to see the two of them together (with Chester). Mike Shinoda either did a few live shows with ONE OK ROCK, or Takahiro Moriuchi did a few live shows with Linkin Park (or maybe just Mike Shinoda), shortly after Chester died. It's just some live stuff though, and poorly recorded. Taka would have made a better singer for Linkin Park as he could do most of Chester's style, but I wouldn't have liked the move as it would have ended my favourite band. So I'm glad we still have both, and maybe Linkin Park's next album will be better — I will certainly be here for it.

Not many will know him but: Alex Chilton.

It just didn't seem possible when he passed in 2010 at 60.

Chris Cornell, he always seemed like a classy and cool if somewhat aloof guy, extremely talented vocalist.

Initially I was upset when I heard about John Peel passing away because I listened to him so much - possibly more his Home Truths show on Radio 4 than the Peel Sessions for which he was better known. Listening to him talk to regular people about their lives was a regular feature of my Saturday mornings.

Later I learned about his sexual abuse of teenagers and now don't care about him at all.

I don't see him on here, but Trevor Moore hit me super hard. I grew up watching WKUK, and was a big fan. He was only a couple years older than me, and what really resonated with me was that he had a son the same age as mine. It just got me thinking about my own mortality and what grief I would put my wife and son through if I'd passed away, and really put me in a dark place for a while. R.I.P. Trevor.

Jimi Hendrix

Damn. Hard call. There's only been a few that have hit me because I don't really have a parasocial connection to anyone to any degree worth mentioning.

That being said, the three that made me actually cry were Vonnegut, Kris Kristofferson, and Chester Bennington.

Chester, I was listening to the one more light album when I found out, so it hit extra hard.

Vonnegut though, he more than any other writer made me think and want to create with words. He shaped how I view literature and think about writing. So his death hit harder than most.

Kristofferson, it's that I had known it was coming. He'd already been lost to a great degree, but I had been low key dreading the news because he's so damn iconic. He's the kind of poet I wish I could be. And his music was also damn good lol. Also, he's symbolic of an era of music that's disappeared, and as the last of the highwaymen have died, with only one left there's this hole in the world that isn't likely to be filled now that the entire music industry has fallen into disarray. It's much harder for that kind of poet bard to exist and have their music spread now. In any genre, btw; the same difficulties exist in folk, metal, rap, etc.

Anyway, those are the ones that made me cry as a grown-ass man. I suspect I'll shed another tear when Willie goes, and I know I'm gonna fall apart a little when Dolly does. Luckily, the next wave of writers and musicians that I'd likely cry over are a good twenty years younger (or more) than them, so I'll have a break after that. Likely be dead myself before most of the others would go.

Bourdain and Chester. Irwin a close 3rd.

For some reason Heath Ledger. I loved the movie A Knights Tale as a kid. Watched it many times.

I think it was the first real celebrity death that I conciously experienced.

Neil, of course.