Died July 2020

Joan Feynman (1927–2020), astrophysicist who explained the aurora borealis

Joan Feynman was a pioneering astrophysicist who discovered the science behind the aurora borealis and aurora australis.

Bill Mack (1929–2020), country music’s “Midnight Cowboy” DJ

Bill Mack was a singer-songwriter and disc jockey known for his “Midnight Cowboy Trucking Show,” popular with country music fans and long-haul truckers nationwide.

Helen Jones Woods (1923–2020), pioneering female jazz trombonist

Helen Jones Woods was a pioneering jazz trombonist who played with the historic integrated all-female jazz band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm during the 1940s.

Mahlon Reyes (2020), “Deadliest Catch” star

Mahlon Reyes was a star of the Discovery Channel reality series “Deadliest Catch,” working as a deckhand on crabbing boats.

Ruth Weiss (1928–2020), pioneering female beat poet

Ruth Weiss was a pioneering female poet of the Beat Generation and one of the first people to perform jazz poetry. 

William English (1929–2020), engineer who built the first computer mouse

William English was a computer engineer who built the first computer mouse.

Lady Red Couture (1977–2020), cohost of YouTube show “Hey Qween!”

Lady Red Couture was a comedian and singer who cohosted the popular YouTube show “Hey Qween!”

Connie Culp (1963–2020), first U.S. recipient of a partial face transplant

Connie Culp was the first U.S. recipient of a partial face transplant, who lived longer than any other face transplant recipient to date.

Alan Parker (1933–2020), Oscar-nominated director of “Midnight Express,” “Mississippi Burning”

Alan Parker was a British film director known for movies including “Midnight Express,” “Mississippi Burning,” and “Bugsy Malone.”

John McNamara (1932–2020), manager of 1986 Boston Red Sox

John McNamara was a Major League Baseball manager and coach who took the Boston Red Sox to the 1986 World Series as their manager before a crushing defeat in Game 7.

Herman Cain (1945–2020), 2012 Republican presidential candidate

Herman Cain was a business executive best known for seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Bent Fabric (1924–2020), Grammy-winning composer of “Alley Cat”

Bent Fabric was a Danish pianist best known for his 1962 hit single, “Alley Cat.”

Malik B. (1972–2020), founding member of the Roots

Malik B. was a rapper and singer who was a founding member of the Roots.

Beckie Mullen (1963–2020), GLOW wrestler known as Sally the Farmer’s Daughter

Beckie Mullen was a former wrestler with Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW) who was known as Sally the Farmer’s Daughter.

Reese Schonfeld (1931–2020), cofounder of CNN and Food Network

Reese Schonfeld was the cofounder and first president of CNN, later going on to cofound Food Network.

Mimi Jones (1947–2020), civil rights activist known for St. Augustine “swim-in”

Mimi Jones was a civil rights activist who was the subject of a nationally famous photograph of a “swim-in” in St. Augustine, Florida.

Charlie Balducci (1975–2020), MTV “True Life” star

Charlie Balducci was best known for starring on the MTV reality series “True Life: I’m Getting Married” in 2001.

Maurice Petty (1939–2020), legendary race car engine builder

Maurice Petty was a NASCAR Hall of Fame engine builder and the brother of racing legend Richard Petty.

Col. Steve dePyssler (1919–2020), only known American to serve in four wars

Col. Steve dePyssler was a U.S. Air Force veteran who was the only known American to have served in four wars.

John Saxon (1936–2020), actor who starred in “Enter the Dragon,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street”

John Saxon was an actor known for roles in films including “Enter the Dragon” alongside and two of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movies.

Olivia de Havilland (1916–2020), Oscar-winning “Gone With the Wind” star

Olivia de Havilland was an Oscar-winning actress who played Melanie Hamilton in "Gone With the Wind" and won two Academy Awards for Best Actress.

Regis Philbin (1931–2020), hosted talk shows and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”

Regis Philbin was host of the long-running talk shows “Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee” and “Live! With Regis and Kelly,” as well as the first host of the U.S. version of the popular game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

Peter Green (1946–2020), cofounder of Fleetwood Mac

Peter Green was an influential guitarist who was one of the cofounders of Fleetwood Mac.

Rene Carpenter (1928–2020), last surviving member of the Astronaut Wives Club

Rene Carpenter (first name rhymes with “seen”) was a television host and columnist who first came to public attention as the wife of Mercury 7 astronaut M. Scott Carpenter.

Carlton Haselrig (1966–2020), former Steelers Pro Bowler

Carlton Haselrig was a former pro bowl guard for the who is the only wrestler ever to win six national championships.0

Annie Ross (1930–2020), jazz singer known for “Twisted”

Annie Ross was a jazz singer with Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, best known for her 1952 song “Twisted.”

Charles Evers (1922–2020), civil rights legend

Charles Evers, the brother of civil rights icon , was the first black elected mayor of a Mississippi city since the Reconstruction era.

Michael Brooks (1983–2020), podcast host and political commentator

Michael Brooks was a political commentator who cohosted the award-winning podcast “The Majority Report with Sam Seder” and hosted his own podcast, “The Michael Brooks Show.”

Emitt Rhodes (1950–2020), power pop pioneer

Emitt Rhodes was a beloved power pop pioneer with a strong cult following whose song styling was compared to Paul McCartney.   

Tony Elliott (1947–2020), founder of Time Out magazine

Tony Elliott was the founder of Time Out, the print and online magazine that offers entertainment and dining recommendations in cities across the world.

El Dany (1989–2020), singer with Cuban duo Yomil y El Dany

El Dany was a singer with the Cuban duo Yomil y El Dany, who had hits including the recent release “No Volveré.”

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya (2000–2020), Olympic figure skater

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya was a figure skater who left her native Russia to compete for Australia in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Zizi Jeanmaire (1924–2020), French ballerina danced in Hollywood films

Zizi Jeanmaire was a French modernist ballerina who won international acclaim for her sexually suggestive dancing in the ballet “Carmen,” choreographed by her husband, Roland Petit. She later appeared in the Hollywood films “Hans Christian Andersen” (1952) with Danny Kaye, and “Anything Goes” (1956) with Bing Crosby. She was billed simply as Jeanmaire.

Derek Ho (1964–2020), world champion Hawaiian surfer

Derek Ho was a world champion professional surfer. In 1993, at the age of 29, he became the men’s professional world surfing champion. He was the first Hawaii native to accomplish the feat. He was a four-time Triple Crown of Surfing champion (1984, 1986, 1988, and 1990), and two-time Pipeline Masters champion (1986 and 1993).

John Lewis (1940-2020), civil rights legend & U.S. Rep. from Georgia

John Lewis , the long-serving U.S. representative from Georgia who was one of the most prominent leaders of the American civil rights movement, died Friday, July 17, his family announced in a statement.

Phyllis Somerville (1943–2020), “The Big C” actor

Phyllis Somerville was an actor0known for her role as Marlene in The Big C.

Tony Taylor (1935–2020), MLB All-Star with the Philadelphia Phillies

Tony Taylor was a Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers.

C.T. Vivian (1924–2020), civil rights leader who worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Rev. C.T. Vivian was one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, who worked alongside to organize sit-ins and marches in the pursuit of equality.

Travell Mazion (1995–2020), WBC-NABF super welterweight boxing champion

Travell Mazion was the current champion for the WBC-NABF super welterweight division. He had an undefeated record of 17-0.

Galyn Gí¶rg (1964–2020), actress in “RoboCop 2,” “Twin Peaks”

Galyn G í¶rg was an actress known for roles in films including “RoboCop 2” and TV shows including “Twin Peaks” and “M.A.N.T.I.S.”

Joanna Cole (1944–2020), “The Magic School Bus” author

Joanna Cole was a children’s author best known for her “The Magic School Bus” series.

Nakotah LaRance (1989–2020), actor and champion hoop dancer

Nakotah LaRance was a world-class hoop dancer who won nine world championships and brought the art to the world as a performer with Cirque du Soleil.

Flossie Wong-Staal (1946–2020), pioneering HIV researcher

Flossie Wong-Staal was a molecular virologist whose research on HIV was crucial in the development of blood tests to detect the virus.

Grant Imahara (1970–2020), host of “MythBusters,” “White Rabbit Project”

Grant Imahara was an electrical engineer and roboticist who was best known for hosting “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project.”

Naya Rivera (1987–2020), actress who starred as Santana Lopez in “Glee”

Naya Rivera was an actress best known for her role as Santana Lopez in the hit musical TV series “Glee.”

Mike Ryan (1941–2020), former Red Sox and Phillies catcher

Mike Ryan was a former MLB catcher who played with the Red Sox, Phillies, and Pirates. He was the catcher on the 1967 Red Sox “Impossible Dream” team.  

Lil Marlo (2020), Atlanta rapper

Lil Marlo , born Rudolph Johnson, was an Atlanta rapper who recorded for the Quality Control label.

Gordon Stone (2020), Phish collaborator

Gordon Stone was a renowned banjo and pedal steel guitar player who collaborated with the jam band Phish.

Brandis Kemp (1944–2020), “AfterMASH” actress

Brandis Kemp was an actress known for “AfterMASH” and “Fridays.”