The world lost a lot of people in 2020, including celebrities. While every life is important, here we are focusing on those who were in the public eye and who passed away, whether from COVID-19 or not.
Some celebrity’s deaths were surprising and others we saw coming, but they are still devastating either way. Whether they were actors, singers, athletes, political figures, etc., it is a sad loss and we grieve with their families.
Every year we lose celebrities, but this year just seemed to hit a lot harder. The In Memoriam will be very sad and long next year.
While we have paid tribute to stars who passed like Kelly Preston and Jerry Stiller, now we are remembering 5 more who were taken from us.
Here are the top 5 celebrities we lost in 2020.
Kobe Bryant
Back before we were all worrying about COVID-19 and if we had our masks or not, the world was shocked to hear the news of Kobe Bryant, former Lakers player, passing away. Him along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others, died in a helicopter crash on January 26th. They were traveling to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks, CA when the helicopter went down. There were no survivors. The country mourned the NBA player with touching tributes.
Chadwick Boseman
Another death that shocked the world was actor Chadwick Boseman. He passed away on August 28th from stage 4 colon cancer. No one publicly knew he was sick. Boseman continued to act through his illness while fighting cancer. He was best known for his role in Black Panther and was loved by many in the Marvel Universe and beyond.
Naya Rivera
The actress best known for her role in “Glee” passed away after she was swept under the water at Lake Piru on July 8th. Her and her son rented a boat, which they did often. Her son survived after she helped him get back on the boat. She did not. Rivera was not wearing a life jacket and mustered up enough energy to get her son to safety before drowning. The “Glee” community showed their support online as well as many others.
Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek was loved by many. The Jeopardy! Host passed away on November 8th after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He hosted the show for 37 seasons (from its revival in 1984 until his death in 2020). Trebek also hosted a number of other game shows. The Daytime Emmy Winner was contracted to host the show until 2022. A new host has yet to be announced.
Eddie Van Halen
The musician and songwriter and lead singer of the band Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen passed away on October 6th of a stroke. Van Halen was surrounded by family and bandmates. He had a long battle with cancer as well. The band announced they would not continue on as there is no Van Halen without Eddie.
To all of those who lost their lives this year, famous or not, we are mourning you, we love you and we will see you again.