2016 marked biggest losses in world culture and art scene

It is fair to say that 2016 has ot brought happiness to a huge portion of people around the globe. We have seen endless civil wars, terrorists attacks and so on. However, the world's culture and art scene also suffered from the losses of notable artists whose shoes are hard to fill.

In January, music lovers were shocked with the death of legendary British musician and icon David Bowie. On Jan. 11, a statement was released from the singer's official Facebook page reporting that Bowie, who had been battling with cancer for 18 months, died peacefully surrounded by his loved ones. Famous for hits such as the songs "Space Oddity," "The Man Who Sold the World" and "Heroes," Bowie inspired an entire generation. He passed away at the age of 69, only three days after the release of his 25th studio album.

Iconic British actor Alan Rickman whom Harry Potter fans closely know with his character "Snape" also passed away in the beginning of 2016. The award-winning actor was also battling with cancer and passed away at the hospital at the age of 69.

Prince, who helped define Western pop music passed away in April at his recording studio in Minneapolis at the age of 57. He died of a mysterious overdose of prescribed drugs. Known for his legendary songs "Purple Rain" and "Little Red Corvette," he was an exceptional character with his music and fashion choices and millions mourned his death all over the world.

In May, veteran Turkish actress Oya Aydoğan, who was known for her roles in Yeşilçam classics "Neşeli Günler" (Happy Days) and "Yüz Numaralı Adam" (Man Number 100) passed away at the age of 59 in an Istanbul hospital, where she was receiving treatment for acute ascending aortic dissection. The loss of Aydoğan moved all Yeşilçam actors and her fans to tears.

June 2016 was no exception when it came to celebrity deaths. Young Hollywood actor Anton Yelchin died at the age of 27 following a tragic car accident. The "Star Trek" star was the darling of independent films.

Veteran Turkish journalist Hakkı Devrim, who had a journalism career exceeding 65 years, passed away at the age of 87 in June 15. Known for his efforts for the correct and clear usage of the Turkish language, Devrim was the publishing manager of Meydan Larousse Encyclopedia, one of the leading encyclopedias in the Turkish language.

July witnessed the death of another iconic Turk, historian and writer Professor Halil İnalcık. Dubbed later in life "the professor of professors," İnalcık passed away at the age of 100. İnalcık is known for his document-based understanding of historiography. The Cambridge International Biographical Center also listed İnalcık among the 2,000 social scientists who made their mark in the 20th century. İnalcık published numerous works on Ottoman history and knew seven languages.

Vedat Türkali, the man of letters, who defined modern Turkish literature, passed away at the age of 97 on Aug. 29. Born on May 13, 1919 as "Abdükadir Pirhasan," the author later adopted the pen name "Vedat Türkali." He was famous for his novel "Bir Gün Tek Başına" (Alone Someday) and screenplays that we collaborated with Yılmaz Güney.

Renowned Turkish actor Tarık Akan, one of the most notable names of the "Yeşilçam" era of modern Turkish cinema, died at the age of 66 after losing his battle with cancer on Sept. 16. Akan played the cult characters of Yeşilçam such as "Damat Ferit" in director Ertem Eğilmez's cinema adaptation of Rıfat Ilgaz's "Hababam Sınıfı" (Chaos Class), which is called one of the best films and comedies in Turkish cinema history. He also received an Honorable Mention at the 35th Berlin International Film Festival in 1985 with the movie "Pansiyon" (Hostel).

Hailed as the most visionary artist of his generation, the musical genius Canadian Leonard Cohen died on Nov. 11 at the age of 82. Cohen began as a poet before branching out into music - reluctantly at first - writing some of his generation's most reflective songs, including the oft-covered spiritual "Hallelujah." He received a lifetime achievement Grammy by the Recording Academy in 2010.

Turkish TV and cinema lovers mourned the death of Erdal Tosun who died in a tragic car accident at the age of 53 on Nov. 30. The "alas! Necdet" role that he played in the famous "Bir Demet Tiyatro" TV series was his best performance in his acting carrier, according to theater critics.