Luminaries lost in 2020 whose voids could never be filled
Everyone is waiting for a happy New Year because deep down, we all know that there's nothing happy about 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has wiped a once populated slate of luminaries spanning across entertainment and sports ominously clean. We can't mourn them enough, so NewsBytes pays tribute to select luminaries gone in 2020 because of various ailments and unforgettably, the coronavirus.
This list cannot start without having Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman at the top, whose untimely demise due to colon cancer sent a (probably permanent) pall of gloom and shock across the world. This promising star was barely 43 and his last outing, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, made us realize that he had so much left in him to contribute to the cinematic world.
NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26 along with his 13-year-old daughter. The duo was heading toward Mamba Academy for basketball practice. Another accidental death that set shockwaves was of Naya Rivera's. The Glee star was declared missing on July 8 when she and her son were boating in Lake Piru, California. Her body was discovered on July 13.
Tony Award winner Ann Reinking died on December 12 at the age of 71. The cause of her death has not been confirmed but her sister-in-law Darhla King said she died in her sleep. Reinking was in Seattle with her family at the time of her death. The actor has been known mostly for essaying the Broadway role of Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Rock n' Roll guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen died on October 6 after succumbing to his prolonged fight against throat cancer. Halen, who co-founded the band Van Halen in 1972 along with his brother, was 65 when he died. Country music legend Charley Pride breathed his last on December 12 after his final performance at CMA Awards in November. He died of COVID-19-related complications.
Wrestler Joseph Laurinaitis, known popularly as Road Warrior Animal, reportedly died at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Missouri, of natural causes on September 22. The wrestler was one part of the tag team of The Road Warriors with Michael Hegstrand as Road Warrior Hawk. Pat Patterson, the first proud gay wrestler, WWE Hall of Famer, and inventor of the Royal Rumbles, died on December 2.
Scooby-Doo creator Joe Ruby died on August 26, while his co-creator Ken Spears died on November 6. Noted voice actress Kumiko Okae died of pneumonia induced by novel coronavirus on April 23, while Crayon Shin-Chan lead voice actress Chiang Tu-Hui died of multiple organ failure on September 16. Voice actor Kirby Morrow, known for Dragon Ball Z and X-Men Evolution, died on November 18.
Olivia de Havilland, best known for playing Melanie Hamilton in Gone with the Wind, died in her sleep at the age of 104 on July 26. First James Bond, veteran actor Sean Connery, died on October 31 at the age of 90 after a prolonged illness. Allen Daviau, five-time Oscar nominee and reputed director Steven Spielberg's go-to cinematographer, died of COVID-19-induced complications on April 15.
