Died 2020

Emani 22 (1998–2021), R&B singer

Emani 22 was a rising R&B singer known for music including her 2020 single “Feelings.”

Loretta Whitfield (1941–2020), creator of Baby Whitney doll

Loretta Whitfield was an entrepreneur and education counselor who created Baby Whitney, a realistic Black baby doll.

Jessica Campbell (1982–2020), "Election" actress

Jessica Campbell was an actress who starred in the movie "Election" and appeared on the TV series "Freaks and Geeks."

Michael Cusack (1956–2020), original Special Olympics medalist

Michael Cusack was an athlete with Down syndrome who won a gold medal in freestyle swimming at the first Special Olympics in 1968.

Theodore ‘Ted’ Lumpkin (1919–2020), Tuskegee Airman

Theodore ‘Ted’ Lumpkin was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black pilots and support staff who served with distinction in World War II. He served as an intelligence officer, giving mission briefings to pilots during a combat tour in Italy. He retired from the Air Force Reserves as a lieutenant colonel.

Narinder Kapany (1926–2020), physicist who co-invented fiber optics

Narinder Kapany was a physicist known as the “father of fiber optics,” who was one of the inventors of fiber optics technology.

Helen Jackson (1919–2020), last known widow of a Civil War veteran

Helen Jackson was the last known surviving widow of a Civil War veteran.

Dick Thornburgh (1932–2020), former U.S. Attorney General and Pennsylvania governor

Dick Thornburgh was the former U.S. Attorney General as well as the former governor of Pennsylvania, who guided the state through the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear disaster.

Jon Huber (1979–2020), professional wrestler

Jon Huber was a professional wrestler known by his ring names, Luke Harper and Brodie Lee.

Phyllis McGuire (1931–2020), singer with the McGuire Sisters

Phyllis McGuire was the last living member of the McGuire Sisters, the pop singing group that had hits including “Sincerely” and “Sugartime.”

MF DOOM (1971-2020), masked rapper & master lyricist

Daniel Dumile, most widely known by the stage name MF DOOM, was one of the most influential rap lyricists of the 2000s.

Alto Reed (1948–2020), Bob Seger saxophonist

Alto Reed was the longtime saxophonist for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quiñones (1955–2020), dancer who starred in “Breakin’”

Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Qui ñones was a dancer, actor, and choreographer best known for starring as Ozone in “Breakin’” and “Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo.”

Dawn Wells (1938–2020), "Gilligan's Island" star

Dawn Wells played the down-to-earth farm girl Mary Ann on the 1960s sitcom

Luke Letlow (1979–2020), Congressman-elect from Louisiana

Luke Letlow was a Republican politician who had just been elected to represent Louisiana’s 5th District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Joe Clark (1938–2020), principal who inspired “Lean on Me”

Joe Clark was the former principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, who inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me.”

Nick McGlashan (2020), star of Discovery’s “Deadliest Catch”

Nick McGlashan was one of the stars of Discovery’s reality TV series “Deadliest Catch.”

Pierre Cardin (1922–2020), “Space Age style” fashion designer

Pierre Cardin was a French fashion designer who pioneered Space Age style in the 1960s, popularizing sleek, geometric designs.

Leslie West (1945–2020), 'Mississippi Queen' guitarist

Leslie West was guitarist and co-vocalist for the pioneering hard rock band Mountain, best known for their song "Mississippi Queen."

Phil Niekro (1939–2020), legendary knuckleball pitcher

Phil Niekro was a legendary Hall of Fame pitcher known for his knuckleball pitch, who played for the Braves most of his career.

K.C. Jones (1932–2020), Celtics legend

K.C. Jones was the steady point guard for the Boston Celtics who helped lead the team to eight NBA titles as a player and then two more as the head coach.

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher (1964–2020), rapper with influential group Whodini

John Fletcher was a rapper with the influential early rap group Whodini, who went by the name Ecstasy.

Rebecca Luker (1961–2020), Broadway star

Rebecca Luker was a Tony-nominated Broadway star known for her roles in productions including the 1994 revival of “Showboat” and the 2000 revival of “The Music Man.”

Chad Stuart (1941–2020), singer with British Invasion duo Chad & Jeremy

Chad Stuart was a singer with the English duo Chad & Jeremy, who had several hits during the British Invasion of the 1960s.

Kevin Greene (1962–2020), legendary NFL pass rusher

Kevin Greene was a Hall of Fame linebacker who was one of the best pass rushers in NFL history.

K.T. Oslin (1942–2020), Grammy-winning country star

K.T. Oslin was a Grammy-winning country singer-songwriter known for the hit song "80's Ladies."

Jeremy Bulloch (1945–2020), original Boba Fett actor

Jeremy Bulloch was the British actor who played bounty hunter Boba Fett in 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of the Jedi.'

Darold Treffert (1933–2020), autism researcher who consulted on “Rain Man”

Darold Treffert was a psychiatrist whose pioneering research helped us better understand autism and savant syndrome.

Jeannie Morris (1935–2020), first woman to report live from the Super Bowl

Jeannie Morris was a pioneering sportscaster who became the first woman to report live from a Super Bowl, at 1975’s Super Bowl IX.

Ann Reinking (1949–2020), Tony-winning star of “Chicago”

Ann Reinking was a choreographer, dancer, and actress known for productions including “Chicago” – both the original Broadway show and the 1996 revival.

Carol Sutton (1944–2020), actress in “Steel Magnolias,” “Monster’s Ball”

Carol Sutton was an actress known for roles in movies and TV shows including “Steel Magnolias” and “Queen Sugar.”

John Le Carré (1931–2020), bestselling author of spy novels

John Le Carré was a British novelist known for bestselling spy novels including “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”

Charley Pride (1934–2020), country music legend

Charley Pride was the pioneering country music superstar who had 30 number one hits on the country music charts.

Tommy "Tiny" Lister (1958–2020), starred in 'Friday'

Tommy "Tiny" Lister was an actor known for his roles in 'Friday' and 'The Dark Knight.'

Doug Scott (1941–2020), trailblazing mountain climber

Doug Scott was an English mountain climber who was part of the first team to summit Mount Everest via its challenging southwest face.

Chuck Yeager (1923–2020), first human to go faster than the speed of sound

Chuck Yeager was a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general who was the first human to break the sound barrier.

Natalie Desselle Reid (1967–2020), starred in 'B.A.P.S.'

Natalie Desselle Reid was a comic actor known for roles in "B.A.P.S." and "Madea's Big Happy Family."

Dick Allen (1942–2020), Phillies, White Sox legend

Dick Allen was a legendary slugger for the Philies and White Sox who was a seven-time All-Star.

Paul Sarbanes (1933–2020), longtime U.S. senator from Maryland

Paul Sarbanes was a former Democratic U.S. senator from Maryland who served five terms and drafted the first article of impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

Whitney Collings (2020), reality TV star of “Bad Girls Club”

Whitney Collings starred on season three of the Oxygen reality TV series “Bad Girls Club” in 2008.

David Lander (1947–2020), Squiggy on 'Laverne & Shirley'

David Lander was an actor and comedian best known for his costarring role as Squiggy on the hit 1970s sitcom "Laverne & Shirley."

Frank Carney (1938–2020), co-founder of Pizza Hut

Frank Carney was a businessman who co-founded Pizza Hut along with his brother.

Hugh Keays-Byrne (1947–2020), played villains in “Mad Max” movies

Hugh Keays-Byrne was an English-Australian actor best known for portraying two different villains in “Mad Max” (1979) and “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015).

Rafer Johnson (1934–2020), Olympic decathlon legend

Rafer Johnson won the decathlon gold medal at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome and was the first Black American to be the flag bearer for the U.S. Olympic team.

Pat Patterson (1941–2020), WWE Hall of Famer

Pat Patterson was a wrestling star who helped built World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and was a mentor to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Abby Dalton (1932–2020), 'Falcon Crest' star

Abby Dalton was an actor who starred on 'Falcon Crest' and 'The Joey Bishop Show.'

Debra White Plume (1954–2020), Lakota activist at Wounded Knee and Standing Rock

Debra White Plume was a Lakota activist who was one of the leaders of the protests at Standing Rock against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

Tony Hsieh (1973–2020), longtime Zappos CEO

Tony Hsieh was the longtime CEO of Zappos, who built the online shoe retailer into a billion-dollar business.

David Prowse (1935–2020), original Darth Vader actor

David Prowse, the English actor who appeared in the original Star Wars trilogy as Darth Vader, has died at the age of 85, his agent announced early Sunday morning.