Events in 2016
- Ricci Martin, musician and youngest son of Dean Martin, died at the age of 62 at his home in Utah.
- Electric Light Orchestra reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with the compilation “All Over the World.” Originally released in 2005, the album returned to the chart after the group’s performance at Glastonbury Festival.
- Viola Beach reached No. 1 on the UK albums chart with their self-titled debut album, released posthumously six months after all four band members and their manager tragically died in a car accident in Sweden.
- RCA and Legacy released the two-disc collection “Way Down in the Jungle Room,” featuring recordings Elvis Presley made in his home studio during the final 18 months of his life. The collection reached No. 16 in the UK and No. 79 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
- Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band canceled most of his upcoming tour dates due to serious health problems and was receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
- Spotify reported that “The Girl From Ipanema” had been streamed more than 40,000 times after it was played during the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
- Judge R. Gary Klausner denied Led Zeppelin and its publishing company nearly $800,000 in legal fees related to the lawsuit over whether the band had plagiarized the chord progression in “Stairway to Heaven”.
- Chance the Rapper took part in the #SoGoneChallenge and posted a video in which he rapped about his pregnant girlfriend over the instrumental of Monica's 2003 hit “So Gone”. The video was quickly retweeted more than 250,000 times, and the challenge went viral.
- Ed Sheeran faced a lawsuit in the United States over claims that his song “Thinking Out Loud” copied parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Let's Get It On.” The heirs of co-writer Ed Townsend sought a jury decision on possible damages.
- President Barack Obama released his summer music playlists on Spotify for the second year in a row. It was his final year in the presidency.
- She died at the age of 95; she was the mother of Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb and Andy Gibb.
- Paul McCartney performed at Busch Stadium in St. Louis as part of the One on One tour.
- The former keyboardist and synthesizer player, who worked with Nine Inch Nails from 1991 to 1994 and also with Rob Halford's group 2wo, died at the age of 49. He fell from a ladder in his studio in Illinois and died from neck injuries. John 5 of Marilyn Manson also played in 2wo.
- The television show Catfish: The TV Show featured Spencer Morrill, who claimed to have been in an online relationship with Katy Perry for six years and had even made a ring from a family heirloom.
- Paul McCartney signed a worldwide recording agreement with Capitol Records and returned his solo catalog of original master recordings to the label associated with the US releases of the Beatles' recordings.
- Blossoms reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with their debut album Blossoms.
- American music producer, manager and con artist Lou Pearlman died at the age of 62 from cardiac arrest while serving a 25-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Texarkana, Texas. He was the manager of successful boy bands Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in history, leaving more than $300 million in debt. After being caught, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy, money laundering and making false statements during bankruptcy proceedings. In 2008, he was sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.
- Alice Cooper announced to CNN that he had decided to run for President of the United States and had chosen actor Tom Hanks as his running mate. Jokingly, he gave his campaign slogan as “I can do nothing as well as they can do nothing” and declared that his platform was “non-existent”. It was part of a long-running joke in which Cooper has claimed to be running for president every four years since the release of his song “Elected” in 1972.
- Former 3 Doors Down guitarist Matt Roberts died at the age of 38 in a hotel room in Wisconsin, probably as a result of an accidental prescription drug overdose. 3 Doors Down achieved international fame with their debut single “Kryptonite”, which reached the Top 3 of the Billboard chart. Their 2000 debut album “The Better Life” was the 11th best-selling album of the year and was certified six-times platinum in the U.S.
- The Tragically Hip played their final concert together in the hometown of their singer Gord Downie, Kingston, Ontario, at the end of a 15-date farewell tour. Downie had been diagnosed with incurable brain cancer in December 2015. The sold-out concert took place at the Rogers K-Rock Centre and was broadcast to more than 11.7 million viewers. Public screenings were held across Canada, with approximately 22,000 fans attending the screening in Kingston. The concert was later released as “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration”.
- Tom Searle of Architects died at the age of 28 from skin cancer.
- The Tragically Hip drew a sold-out audience to a concert in Kingston, Ontario, where their dying singer Gord Downie said farewell to Canada. The concert was broadcast live across Canada and screened at hundreds of public viewing events in bars and outdoor venues.
- It was announced that pills seized at Prince's home contained the dangerously potent synthetic opioid fentanyl but were incorrectly labeled as hydrocodone, a weaker type of opioid. Investigators into his death said that the autopsy results released in June revealed that Prince had died from an accidental fentanyl overdose.
- Belgian jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, professionally known as Toots Thielemans, died in Brussels at the age of 94. He became best known as a legendary harmonica player.
- Jeanne Martin, the late Dean Martin's former wife, died of cancer at the age of 89. She married the singer in 1949 and had three children with him, including Dean Paul Martin, while also raising four children from Dean's first marriage. They divorced in 1972.
- Bruce Springsteen set his personal record for the length of a concert in the US by playing for four hours. He surpassed his previous performance of 3 hours and 52 minutes, which he had played two nights earlier with The E Street Band.
- Trumpeter Herb Alpert donated $10.1 million to Los Angeles City College, enabling the school to provide students in music programmes with free tuition and individual lessons for several years.
- Kanye West began his Saint Pablo Tour with a concert in Indianapolis. During the performance West sang on a floating stage suspended about 15 feet above the audience.
- Ann Wilson's husband was arrested for assault after getting into a physical altercation with Nancy Wilson's sixteen-year-old twins. The incident caused a rift between the Heart sisters, who completed the tour with separate dressing rooms and no contact with each other.
- The soundtrack album to the superhero film “Suicide Squad” reached No. 1 on the US album chart. It included songs by artists such as Eminem, Skylar Grey, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons, CCR and Wiz Khalifa.
- Beyoncé won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards for “Formation”. In support of the Black Lives Matter movement, she brought four mothers of shooting victims onto the red carpet. During the evening, she and her production designer, choreographer, director, cinematographer, and editor won a total of eight awards, which according to the source represented a record number of wins in a single evening.
- Mexican singer and songwriter Juan Gabriel died of a heart attack at the age of 66. He sold more than 200 million recordings worldwide and was one of the best-selling Latin American singers and songwriters. His nineteenth studio album “Recuerdos, Vol. II” was reportedly the best-selling album of all time in Mexico, with more than eight million copies sold.
- Mark David Chapman's request for parole was denied for the ninth time. Chapman was convicted of murdering John Lennon.
- American singer Chris Brown was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a woman reported to police that he had threatened her with a gun. Beauty queen Baylee Curran told the Los Angeles Times that Brown had pointed a gun at her after she admired her friend’s jewelry. Brown emerged from his home following a police standoff.
- A copy of the first pressing of The Beatles’ “The White Album”, owned by Ringo Starr and bearing the catalog number 0000001, was officially confirmed as the most expensive LP ever sold at auction. In December 2015, it was sold for $790,000 at Julien's Auction House.
- The Go-Go's completed their final tour and played their last concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.
- A blue plaque was unveiled marking the first house where Freddie Mercury lived after arriving in England. The Queen frontman moved into the semi-detached house in Feltham, West London, after his family left Zanzibar in 1964, when he was 17.
- The REDD.37 mixing console used at EMI Abbey Road Studios to record the first Beatles tracks was offered for sale by Vintage King Audio. No price was given. In January 1964, the console had been replaced by the newer REDD.51 model.
- The compilation album “Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975” returned to the Billboard 200 after a promotional sale in the Google Play store for 99 cents. The album, released in 1976, was already the best-selling compilation record in history at the time, with worldwide sales of more than 42 million copies.
- With the song “Closer” featuring Halsey, The Chainsmokers reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey began a twelve-week run at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 with “Closer”.
- Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May announced that an asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter had been named after Freddie Mercury in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday.
- Joe Jeffrey, leader of The Joe Jeffrey Group, which had the number-14 Billboard hit “My Pledge of Love” in August 1969, died of cancer at his home in Cleveland at the age of 80. His real name was Joseph Stafford Jr.
- Asteroid 17473 was named Freddiemercury in honor of Freddie Mercury on what would have been his 70th birthday.
- Barbra Streisand extended her U.S. record for the most No. 1 albums by a female artist when "Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway" debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. It was her 11th No. 1 album, surpassing Elvis Presley with ten and tying Bruce Springsteen.
- The Chainsmokers featuring American singer Halsey reached No. 1 on the US singles chart with “Closer”. The song remained at the top for 12 weeks and reached No. 1 in more than ten countries. It subsequently became the first song to spend 26 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 Top Five and only the second in chart history to spend 32 weeks in the Top 10.
- Jason Aldean reached No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with his seventh studio album, “They Don’t Know”.
- Nickelodeon premiered the animated series Kuu Kuu Harajuku, produced by Gwen Stefani. The series follows a group of girls who make music and fight evil. Stefani introduced her “Harajuku Girls,” inspired by Tokyo's Harajuku district, on her solo debut Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and later incorporated her fascination with the culture into clothing and perfume collections.
- James Arthur began a run at No. 1 on the UK singles chart with “Say You Won't Let Go”; the song spent a total of three weeks at the top.
- Passenger reached No. 1 on the UK album chart with his seventh studio album Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea.
- The Paisley Park estate belonging to Prince was opened to the public.
- Sum 41 released the album 13 Voices, their first album in five years. Much of the album deals with singer Deryck Whibley's journey from alcoholism to sobriety.
- The Rolling Stones played the opening night of the Desert Trip festival at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Roger Waters, and The Who also took part in the festival. The six-day event, split across two weekends, grossed $160 million and became the highest-grossing music festival at the time.
- Don Ciccone, guitarist for The Critters on their hit “Mr. Dieingly Sad,” which reached No. 17 on the Billboard chart in 1966, died at the age of 70. After leaving the group, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served in Vietnam. From 1973 to 1981, he was a member of The Four Seasons and sang falsetto parts on their 1975 hit “December 1963 (Oh What A Night).”
- Robert Plant and St. Vincent performed at the Festival of Disruption in Los Angeles, organized by director David Lynch and featuring film screenings and meditation.
- Rod Stewart was knighted by Prince William at Buckingham Palace, receiving the title Sir Roderick David Stewart. The honour recognised his contributions to music and charity, including support for the British Red Cross, Breast Cancer Care and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Stewart said he was deeply grateful for his career and for the support of the British public.
- Forbes publishes its list of the highest-earning deceased celebrities. Prince ranks fifth with estimated earnings of $25 million, while David Bowie ranks eleventh with $10.5 million. Michael Jackson tops the list.
- Janet Jackson confirms that she and her husband, Wissam Al Mana, are expecting their first child. She is 50 at the time; the couple married in 2012.
- Soul singer, songwriter, arranger, and producer William Nelson “Sonny” Sanders dies aged 77. In 1957, he founded The Satintones, one of the first vocal groups signed to Motown.
- Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first songwriter to receive the honor. The Swedish Academy recognized him for creating new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.
- The album Following My Intuition debuted at number one on the UK chart. It was Craig David's first chart-topping album since his 2000 debut, Born to Do It.
- Jon Sudano posted a YouTube video in which he sang the lyrics of Smash Mouth's "All Star" over the musical accompaniment of John Lennon's "Imagine". The video went viral and attracted millions of views. He subsequently made similar videos pairing other well-known songs, including "Y.M.C.A.", "Under the Bridge", and "Wonderwall".