Franklin Graham on 2016 celebrity deaths: 'Our time on Earth is brief'

Famed evangelist Franklin Graham has taken note of several well-known personalities that have passed away in the year 2016 with a warning that death is what everyone has in common and life on Earth is brief, even for famous people.

"This week pop icon George Michael passed away at age 53, 'Star Wars' actress Carrie Fisher died at 60, and award winning Watership Down author Richard Adams died at the age of 96. From the unknown to the most well-known, we all have something in common — death," Graham wrote on Facebook.

"Our time on Earth is brief — the Bible says like 'a vapor.' And each of us will stand before Almighty God to give an account," he added.

Graham warned that there are no "VIP passes or exceptions" when the time comes to give an account to God.

"The decision that will determine where we spend eternity is whether we have believed in His Son, Jesus Christ, trusting Him as our Savior and following Him as Lord," the evangelist continued.

Graham's remarks came near the end of the year when many celebrities and cultural icons have passed away.

According to The Mirror, the figures suggest that there has been an increase in notable deaths in 2016. There have been 642 notable deaths in January this year, compared to 466 in the previous month.

Other notable celebrities that died this year include David Bowie, Prince, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Muhammad Ali, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Leonard Cohen.

The authors of the article from the Mirror speculated that many more celebrities are dying because baby boomers are reaching an age when they are vulnerable to life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

The article also noted that there are some famous people who have lived "wild" lifestyles. It pointed out that celebrities like David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane co-founder Paul Kanter have used drugs in the past.

The authors also surmised that the increase of celebrity deaths could be a result of the increase in the number of famous people. They also noted that the high number this year could just be a coincidence.