The Grim Reaper was working overtime this year.
Not only did we lose a busload of artistic giants, but in 2014 we suffered tragic, before-their-time departures that months later, sting just as sharply. The loss of Robin Williams will, we imagine, seem unreal for a long time to come: the shock is still fresh at finding a public figure of such warmth, exuberance and humanity was hiding devastating sadness in plain sight.
The list of screen icons who vanished in 2014 is great as well. It”s hard to calculate how much poorer and colder Earth is minus the talents of Sid Caesar, Lauren Bacall, Mike Nichols, Harold Ramis, Gordon Willis and Joan Rivers.
And our TV screens grew a little bit darker as some of the shows that had become fixtures in our homes faded to black.
We”re leaving a lot of good friends behind in 2014, but before we do here is one look back at 20 we”ll never forget.