Sadly, the world lost many famous faces in 2016. The list includes comedians, musicians, actors, and actresses. Some belong to the world of sports, and even a well known politician died this year. Still, their legacies will live on forever. 

Here are some of them:

Prince

The world was shocked when the news broke that pop-music icon Prince was found dead in his home at Paisley Park in Minneapolis. The Academy and Grammy Award winner was responsible for hits like "Purple Rain, "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy." He was 57 years old when he passed away on April 21.

Prince was ranked by the Rolling Stone magazine at No. 27 in its top 100 Greatest Artists and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility back in 2004. To the music industry, Prince is known as the most influential artist of the rock and roll era.

Muhammad Ali

Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., or simply known as Muhammad Ali, was an American professional boxer. He is significantly celebrated as one of the sport celebrities of the 20th century because of his unorthodox boxing style and his creative trash talk.  He is also known for his "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" catchphrase, and his boxing career was renowned for his tremendous hand speed, fast reflexes, as well as constant movement.  

The legendary boxer died from complications brought by a respiratory illness on June 3 at the age of 74. For 32 years, he suffered from Parkinson's, Today reported.

David Bowie

In his last few months, singer-songwriter-actor David Bowie kept promoting his 25th album. Little did his fans know that it would be his last. He kept his 18-month long battle against cancer to himself that even his close friends were shocked on Jan. 10 upon the news of his death.

Bowie's musical career spanned for six decades with an estimated 140 million record sales worldwide. He is considered one of the best-selling music artists who has ever lived.  Some of his works include "Space Oddity," "Starman," "Fame," Heroes," and "Under Pressure," a collaboration with Queen.

Gene Wilder

Gene Wilder is the man behind the funny Willy Wonka character in the classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," which was released back in 1971. The comedian was also famous for his roles in "Blazing Saddles," The Producers," "Young Frankenstein," and "Stir Crazy."

Wilder often said that he was an actor and not a clown, thus, he made things funny because he tried to make it real. He was also an accomplished stage actor, a novelist, a director and also tried his hand as a screenwriter. 

Wilder was 83 when he succumbed from complications due to Alzheimer's disease on Aug. 29.

Other notable figures that mankind lost were: former first lady Nancy Reagan, who passed away on March 6; actor Alan Rickman, known for playing Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" movie series, who died on Jan. 14; and poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, who passed away on Nov. 7. The list also includes Fidel Castro, the former president of Cuba, who died on Nov. 25.