Gone too soon

The year recorded a number of deaths of celebrities that were ruled as suicides.

On April 20, Swedish DJ and record producer Avicii, known for his electronic music, was found dead in Muscat, Oman. The artiste, whose real name was Tim Bergling, was 28. Although no cause of death was given, Bergling’s family appeared to suggest that he took his own life, saying in a statement: ‘He could not go on any longer’.

On April 21, Verne Troyer – the diminutive actor who starred in the ‘Austin Powers’ movies as the villainous character ‘Mini Me’ died at a hospital in Los Angeles. Troyer, who stood at 81cm tall, was 49. The cause of death was not announced, but the family wrote: ‘Depression and suicide are very serious issues’.

Kate Spade, the designer who built a fashion empire on the popularity of her signature handbags before selling the brand, was found dead in her New York City apartment on June 5. She was 55.

On June 8, US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who hosted CNN’s food-and-travel-focused ‘Parts Unknown’ television series, was found dead in a French hotel room. He was 61. On Sept 7, he posthumously earned a pair of Emmy Awards for his work on his famous CNN series

There were also deaths reported as being due to unnatural causes.

A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death on Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of Irish rock group The Cranberries, after the hearing on Sept 6. The 46-year-old singer was found submerged in the bathtub in her London hotel room on Jan 15 after excessive consumption of alcohol, expert witnesses told Westminster Coroner’s Court.

On Feb 24, India’s Sridevi – arguably Bollywood’s first female superstar – was found dead in a bathtub. Born as Shree Amma Yanger Ayyapan in the southern