Scores of notable people around the globe passed away in 2020. They came from all corners and all walks of life.
Here are their stories.
Don Larsen, 90: The pitcher played for seven teams, including the Giants and Yankees, but was best known for throwing the only perfect game in World Series history; Jan. 1
Neil Peart, 67: The drummer for the band Rush also was the group’s primary lyricist; Jan. 7
Elizabeth Wurtzel, 52: The author, who wrote several books and essays, was best known for her memoir “Prozac Nation”; Jan. 7
Buck Henry, 89: The writer and actor co-created “Get Smart,” was nominated for an Oscar for his script for “The Graduate,” and hosted “Saturday Night Live” several times; Jan. 8
H.L. “Bill” Richardson, 92: The longtime GOP lawmaker from Southern California was a defender of the Second Amendment; Jan. 13
Rocky Johnson, 75: The famed wrestler was a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and later was known as the father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson; Jan. 15
Frieda Caplan, 96: The Southern California businesswoman owned a wholesale produce company, introducing dozens of fruits and vegetables to American grocery stores; Jan. 18
Terry Jones, 77; The member of the beloved Monty Python troupe also wrote and directed several films; Jan. 21
Jim Lehrer, 85: The TV journalist was a former anchor of PBS’ “NewsHour” and moderated 12 presidential debates, “more than anyone in U.S. history”; Jan. 23
Kobe Bryant, 41: The Los Angeles Lakers legend is considered one of the greatest players in NBA history, and he later won an Oscar for his work on a short film; Jan. 26
Bob Shane, 85: The longtime musician was best known as the lead singer for the folk group the Kingston Trio; Jan. 26
Kirk Douglas, 103: The iconic actor, best known for roles in the films “Spartacus” and “Lust for Life,” also wrote several books and was a well-known philanthropist; Feb. 5
Roger Kahn, 92: The sports journalist and author wrote more than 20 books, including the beloved baseball memoir “The Boys of Summer”; Feb. 6
Orson Bean, 91: The actor and comedian appeared in films and on Broadway, but he is best remembered his work on TV, which includes dozens of appearances on game shows and “The Tonight Show”; Feb. 7
Robert Conrad, 84: The longtime TV and film star was best known for his roles in the 1960s series “Hawaiian Eye” and “The Wild, Wild West”; Feb. 8
Dave McCoy, 104: The ski industry pioneer was the founder of Mammoth Mountain; Feb. 8
Nikita Pearl Waligwa, 15: The actress from Uganda was known for her role in the film “Queen of Katwe”; Feb. 15
Tony Fernandez, 57: The longtime MLB shortstop played for seven teams, most notably for the Toronto Blue Jays, and was a five-time All-Star; Feb. 16
Kellye Nakahara Wallett, 72: The actress was best known for her role as Lt. Nurse Kellye Yamato on “M-A-S-H”; Feb. 16
Ja’Net DuBois: The actress and songwriter won fame for her role as Willona Woods on “Good Times,” as well as for writing and singing the theme song to “The Jeffersons”; Feb. 17
Charles Portis, 86: The best-selling author was best known for the Western novel “True Grit”; Feb. 17
Mickey Wright, 85: The legendary golfer won 13 LPGA majors, is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and in 1999 was named the Female Golfer of the Century; Feb. 17
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Barbara “B.” Smith, 70: The former model moved from fashion to lifestyle guru — opening restaurants, creating a home products line and launching a TV show and magazine; Feb. 22
Clive Cussler, 88: The best-selling author of several books — both fiction and nonfiction — on underwater shipwrecks was also a sea explorer; Feb. 24
Katherine Johnson, 101: The pioneering mathematician, who was an inspiration for the movie “Hidden Figures,” played a key role for NASA and space travel; Feb. 24
Hosni Mubarak, 91: The longtime autocratic leader of Egypt was ousted from office in 2011 amid the Arab Spring uprising; Feb. 25
Joe Coulombe, 89: The founder of the Trader Joe’s grocery chain also was known for his work as a food and wine commentator and as a Southern California philanthropist; Feb. 28
James Lipton, 93: The former actor and writer was best known for interviewing high-profile stars on the TV show “Inside the Actors Studio”; March 2
Max Von Sydow, 90: The Oscar-nominated actor appeared in such films as “The Exorcist” as well as on television in “Game of Thrones”; March 8
Lyle Waggoner, 84: The TV star was best known for roles on “The Carol Burnett Show” and “Wonder Woman”; March 17
Al Worden, 88: The longtime astronaut did the first deep-space spacewalk — nearly 200,000 miles from Earth, then served aboard the Apollo 15 moon mission; March 18
Kenny Rogers, 81: The Grammy-winning musician and actor was known for such hits as “Lucille,” “Lady,” “Islands in the Stream” and “The Gambler”; March 24
Manu Dibango, 86: The famed saxophonist from Cameroon was best-known for his 1972 hit “Soul Makossa,” whose hook Michael Jackson used in “Wanna Be Startin Somethin”; March 24
Albert Uderzo, 92: The artist was the co-creator and illustrator of the “Asterix” comic book series; March 24
Mark Blum, 69: The stage and screen actor was best known for roles in “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Crocodile Dundee”; March 25
Floyd Cardoz, 59: The celebrity chef, who was a “Top Chef Masters” winner, wrote several cookbooks, had a string of restaurants and served as consulting chef at the Palo Alto restaurant Junnoon, which was open from 2006 to 2011; March 25
Harriet Glickman, 93: The schoolteacher from Southern California convinced “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles Schulz to introduce a black character into the popular strip in the 1960s; March 27
Joseph Lowery, 98: The longtime civil rights activist was an aide to Martin Luther King Jr., led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference for two decades and delivered a benediction at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration; March 27
John Callahan, 66: The actor had roles on several soap operas, including “All My Children,” “Days of Our Lives” and “Santa Barbara”; March 28
Tom Coburn, 72: The Republican congressman from Oklahoma was well-known for his refusal to vote for any spending bills, garnering him the nickname “Dr. No”; March 28
Joe Diffie, 61: The country singer had a string of hits in the 1990s, including “Home” and “Pickup Man”; March 29
Bill Withers, 81: The Grammy-winning singer was best known for such hits as “Lean on Me” and “Ain’t No Sunshine”; March 30
Peter Beard, 82: The famed photographer was best known for his scenes of African wildlife; March 31
Andrew Jack, 76: The British actor and dialect coach had roles in a string of “Star Wars” movies; March 31
Wallace Roney, 59: The Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter played with scores of other musicians, but was best known for his association with Miles Davis; March 31
Ellis Marsalis Jr., 85: The noted jazz pianist and teacher was the patriarch of the famed Marsalis family of musicians; April 1
Tom Dempsey, 73: The NFL kicker, who was missing toes on his right foot, set a field goal record that stood for more than four decades; April 4
Honor Blackman, 94: The British actress, who amassed more than 100 screen credits, was best known for her roles in the James Bond film “Goldfinger” and in the TV show “The Avengers”; April 6
Al Kaline, 85: The Baseball Hall of Famer, who played for the Detroit Tigers for 22 seasons, was one of only a small number of baseball players who never logged any time in the minor leagues; April 6
Linda Tripp, 70: The former civil servant gained notoriety when she taped Monica Lewinsky, then the mistress of President Bill Clinton, spurring Clinton’s impeachment; April 8
Mort Drucker, 91: The longtime Mad Magazine illustrator satirized politicians, entertainers and other cultural icons for decades; April 9
Brian Dennehy, 81: The actor won Tony awards for his roles in “Death of a Salesman” and “Long Day’s Journey into Night,” and had scores of film and television roles; April 15
Steve Dalkowski, 80; The hard-throwing minor league pitcher was the inspiration for Nuke LaLoosh in the movie “Bull Durham”; April 19
Florian Schneider, 73: The musician was a co-founder of the pioneering German electronic-music group Kraftwerk.
Irrfan Khan, 53: The Bollywood star gained worldwide fame for roles in “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi” and “The Amazing Spider-Man”; April 29
Don Shula, 90: The NFL’s winningest head coach in history is the only coach to lead a team to an undefeated season — his Miami Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972; May 4
Little Richard, 87: The pioneering rock ‘n’ roll musician also helped introduce R&B music to White audiences; May 9
Jerry Stiller, 92: The comedy legend was part of a duo with wife Anne Meara, then later shot to new popularity for roles on “Seinfeld” and “King of Queens”; May 11
Gregory Tyree Boyce, 30: The actor was best known for his role in the movie “Twilight”; May 13
Frank Bielec, 72; The interior designer gained fame on the TV show “Trading Spaces”; May 15
Lynn Shelton, 54: The director was known for such films as “Humpday” and “Your Sister’s Sister” and the TV series “Little Fires Everywhere”; May 15
Fred Willard, 86; The comedic actor was best known for his scene-stealing roles in movies such as “Best in Show” and TV shows like “Modern Family”; May 15
Ken Osmond, 76: The actor was best known for playing Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver”; May 18
Annie Glenn, 100: The advocate for those with speech and communication disorders also was known for her marriage to astronaut John Glenn; May 19
Eddie Sutton, 74; The legendary college basketball coach was the first to take four different schools to the NCAA tournament; May 23
Jimmy Cobb, 91: The acclaimed percussionist was the last surviving member of Miles Davis’ 1959 “Kind of Blue” groundbreaking jazz album; May 24
Larry Kramer, 84: The famed playwright and screenwriter helped raise theatergoers’ consciousness about AIDS and later founded AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power; May 27
Christo, 84: The artist and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, gained international fame for their huge public art projects; May 31
William Sessions, 90; The former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was its first leader ever fired from the post; June 12
Luce Douady, 16: The French climber was considered a rising star in international competition climbing and was a world champion for her age group; June 14
Jean Kennedy Smith, 92: The last surviving sibling of President John F. Kennedy was a former U.S. ambassador to Ireland who had a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process; June 17
Ian Holm, 88: The Oscar-nominated British actor starred in dozens of films, including the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “Alien” and “Chariots of Fire”; June 19
Steve Bing, 55: The screenwriter and movie producer also was a philanthropist and donor to several prominent Democrats; June 22
Angela Madsen, 60: The three-time Paralympian was attempting become the first paraplegic, first openly gay athlete and oldest woman to row across the Pacific Ocean; June 22
Carl Reiner, 98: The actor, writer and director was the creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and the straight man to Mel Brooks on “The 2,000-Year-Old Man”; June 30
Hugh Downs, 99: The longtime TV personality was a sidekick to Jack Paar on “The Tonight Show,” then later hosted hosted several news programs, including “Today” and “20/20”; July 1
Charlie Daniels, 83: The singer and fiddler, who had a huge hit with “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” was enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame; July 6
Ennio Morricone, 91: The award-winning Italian composer wrote 400 original scores for feature films, including “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” “The Untouchables” and “The Hateful Eight”; July 6
Mary Kay Letourneau, 58; The former schoolteacher married her former sixth-grade student after she was convicted of raping him; July 7
Naya Rivera, 33: The actress and singer was best known for her role on the TV show “Glee”; July 8
Kelly Preston, 57: The TV and movie actress, who had roles in such films as “Twins” and “Jerry Maguire,” also was known for her marriage to actor John Travolta; July 12
Zindzi Mandela, 59: The youngest daughter of Nelson and Winnie Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist like her parents, then later served as South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark; July 13
Peter Green, 73: The British blues guitarist and songwriter was a co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac; July 25
Regis Philbin, 88; The TV personality was best known for his longtime morning show and his hosting of the original “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”: July 24
John McNamara, 88: The longtime MLB manager began his career with Oakland A’s and managed six teams in his career — including the infamous 1986 Boston Red Sox; July 28
Herman Cain, 74; The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO sought the GOP nomination for president in 2012, then later became a staunch Trump ally; July 30
Alan Parker, 76: The award-winning TV and film director helmed such movies as “Midnight Express,” “Fame” and “Evita”; July 31
Wilford Brimley, 85: The movie stunt rider-turned-actor was best known for roles in the films “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Firm”; Aug. 1
John Hume, 83: The politician from Northern Ireland won a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in building the 1998 peace agreement with Ireland; Aug. 3
Pete Hamill, 85: The legendary New York newspaper columnist also wrote several fiction and nonfiction books; Aug. 5
Brent Scowcroft, 95: The foreign policy expert served as national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; Aug. 7
Trini Lopez, 83: The pop singer and guitarist also acted in several movies and TV shows; Aug. 11
Sumner Redstone, 97: The media mogul created an empire that included Viacom and CBS; Aug. 11
Robert Trump, 71: The businessman was the younger brother of President Donald Trump; Aug. 15
Justin Townes Earle, 38; The singer-songwriter, who was the son of musician Steve Earle, was a noted Americana musician; Aug. 20
D.J. Rogers, 72: The soul singer-songwriter was best known for his 1978 album “Love Brought Me Back”; Aug. 22
Sharon Cotrell, 77: The Long Beach resident was the first female dock worker on the West Coast, and later became involved in many social justice movements; Aug. 23
Lute Olson, 85: The Hall of Fame basketball coach turned the University of Arizona into an NCAA powerhouse; Aug. 27
Chadwick Boseman, 43: The star of “Black Panther” also portrayed several Black icons, including Jackie Robinson, James Brown and Thurgood Marshall; Aug. 28
Cliff Robinson, 53: The famed NBA sixth man played for 18 seasons, including two with Golden State; Aug. 29
Tom Seaver, 75: The Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher gained fame for leading the 1969 New York Mets, who won the World Series, and later became a vintner in Napa County; Aug. 31
Lou Brock, 81: The Baseball Hall of Famer, who helped anchor the powerful St. Louis Cardinals teams of the 1960s, was a legendary base-stealer; Sept. 6
Forrest Fenn, 90: The art and antiquities collector published cryptic clues in his autobiography and set off a treasure hunting phenomenon; Sept. 7
Ronald “Khalis” Bell, 68: The singer was a co-founder of the band Kool & the Gang and composed some of the group’s biggest songs, including “Celebration”; Sept. 9
Diana Rigg, 82: The award-winning stage and screen actor won fame for her roles in TV’s “The Avengers” and “Game of Thrones”; Sept. 10
Toots Hibbert, 77: The Jamaican musician was considered one of the founders of reggae and helped make it an international movement; Sept. 11
Bill Gates Sr., 94: The longtime Seattle lawyer was father to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and later took prominent roles with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Sept. 14
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87: The longtime Supreme Court justice, who was an architect of the women’s rights movement, was only the second woman to serve in the role; Sept. 18
Robert Graetz, 92: The White minister was famously known for his support of the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama in the 1950s; Sept. 20
Michael Lonsdale, 89; The French actor appeared in more than 200 films, but was best known for roles in “Moonraker” and “The Day of the Jackal”; Sept. 21
Mac Davis, 78: The country singer known for the hit album “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked On Me” also was a legendary songwriter who penned songs for Elvis Presley, among others; Sept. 29
Helen Reddy, 78: The Australian singer had a string of hits in the 1970s but was best known for her feminist anthem “I Am Woman”; Sept. 29
Sheikh Sabah, 91: The former ruler of Kuwait pushed for the country to develop better diplomatic ties with Iraq after the 1990 Persian Gulf War; Sept. 29
Bob Gibson, 84: The longtime St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and Baseball Hall of Famer was considered one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history; Oct. 2
Thomas Jefferson Byrd, 70; The actor, best known for his roles in several Spike Lee films, also was nominated for a Tony for his role in the Broadway revival of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”; Oct. 3
Margaret Nolan, 76: The actress and model was featured covered in gold paint in the title sequence for the James Bond movie “Goldfinger”; Oct. 5
Johnny Nash, 80: The reggae and pop singer-songwriter was best known for his No. 1 hit, “I Can See Clearly Now”; Oct. 6
Eddie Van Halen, 65: The legendary guitarist, who with his brother Alex founded the rock band Van Halen, is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time; Oct. 6
Whitey Ford, 91: The legendary New York Yankees pitcher had the best winning percentage of any pitcher in the 20th century and was later enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame; Oct. 8
Conchata Ferrell, 77: The award-winning character actress, who appeared in scores of theater, TV and film performances, was best known for role on “Two and a Half Men”; Oct. 12
Roberta McCain, 108; The political matriarch was the mother of former Arizona Sen. John McCain and gained fame during her son’s run for president in 2008; Oct. 12
Spencer Davis, 81: The singer, a pioneer of the “British Invasion” of the 1960s, founded the rock band the Spencer Davis Group; he also worked as a music producer and executive; Oct. 19
Tony Lewis, 62: The singer was the front man for the British rock band the Outfield; Oct. 19
Jerry Jeff Walker, 78: The singer and songwriter was best known for writing the song “Mr. Bojangles”: Oct. 23
Robert Murray, 80: The longtime coal executive for years battled government environmental regulations; Oct. 25
Travis Roy, 45: The college hockey player, who was paralyzed 11 seconds into his first game, became an advocate for survivors of spinal cord injuries; Oct. 29
Bishop Rance Allen, 71: The noted singer was an influential figure in the modern gospel music genre; Oct. 31
Sean Connery, 90: The Oscar-winning actor was best known for playing James Bond — the first performer to take on the beloved role; Oct. 31
Nikki McKibbin, 42: The singer was a contestant on the first season of “American Idol,” Oct. 31
Eddie Hassell, 30: The actor was best known for his roles in the film “The Kids Are All Right” and the TV series “Surface”: Nov. 1
Alex Trebek, 80: The longtime TV personality was best known for hosting the game show “Jeopardy!,” which he did for more than 36 years; Nov. 8
Tommy Heinsohn, 86: The Basketball Hall of Famer was a Boston Celtics legend, serving either as a player, coach or announcer for the team for more than 60 years; Nov. 10
Paul Hornung, 84: The football legend was a Heisman Trophy winner who helped turn the Green Bay Packers into an NFL dynasty; Nov. 13
John Shimooka, 51: The longtime surfer also served as a broadcaster for the sport; Nov. 16
Pat Quinn, 37: The activist was a co-creator of the ALS ice bucket challenge, which became a social media phenomenon in 2014; Nov. 22
David Dinkins, 93: The former mayor of New York City was the first Black man to serve in that office; Nov. 23
Diego Maradona, 60: The legendary soccer star from Argentina was known for the “Hand of God” goal in which he punched the ball into the net during the 1986 World Cup; Nov. 25
Tony Hsieh, 46: The former Zappos CEO also won praise for his efforts in helping to bring new life to downtown Las Vegas; Nov. 27
Dave Prowse, 85: The British bodybuilder-turned-actor was famed for being the performer behind the Darth Vader mask in the original “Star Wars” trilogy; Nov. 28
Eddie Benton-Banai, 89: He was a co-founder of the American Indian Movement and helped fight for the protection of tradition, culture and sacred land; Nov. 30
Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 94: The former president of France helped modernize the nation’s society in the 1970s and was a champion of European integration; Dec. 2
Rafer Johnson, 86: The Olympic gold medalist founded the California Special Olympics and helped subdue assassin Sirhan Sirhan after Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot; Dec. 2
Pat Patterson, 79: The wrestling legend was a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and was the organization’s first openly gay star; Dec. 2
Alison Lurie, 94: The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist penned such books as “Foreign Affairs” and “The War Between the Tates”; Dec. 3
David Lander, 73: The performer, best known for playing Squiggy on “Laverne and Shirley,” had scores of on-screen roles and many credits as a voice actor; Dec. 4
Dick Allen, 78: The baseball star was a feared hitter who played for several teams in the 1960s and ’70s, finishing his career with the Oakland A’s; Dec. 7
Natalie Desselle, 53: The actress was known for such films as “B.A.P.S.” and roles on TV shows such as “Eve”; Dec. 7
Chuck Yeager, 97: The famed test pilot, who was a World War II fighter pilot ace, became the first person to fly faster than sound; Dec. 7
John Le Carre, 89: The spy-turned-novelist penned such classics as “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,” “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “The Honourable Schoolboy”; Dec. 12
Charley Pride, 86: The singer, who released dozens of albums and sold more than 25 million records, was country music’s first Black star; Dec. 12
Ann Reinking, 71: The Tony Award-winning choreographer and actress helped spread a hybrid of jazz and burlesque movement to Broadway and beyond; Dec. 12
Jeremy Bulloch, 75: The British actor was best known for playing Boba Fett in the original “Star Wars” trilogy; Dec. 17
Roger Berlind, 90: The Tony-winning producer brought more than 100 plays and musicals to Broadway, including celebrated revivals of “Death of a Salesman” and “Oklahoma”; Dec. 18
Pierre Cardin, 98: The legendary French designer revolutionized fashion in the 1950s with avant-garde styles, and became an early pioneer of licensing; Dec. 29