In memoriam: Remembering those who died in 2020
These are the artists, activists, journalists, and cultural contributors we lost this year
Alex Trebek, Salome Bey, and Neil Peart were among the Canadian icons who passed away this year. Here’s a list of notable people who died in 2020, from authors and artists to musicians and athletes.
John Baldessari, conceptual artist
Judson Beaumont, artist
Ronald Bell, musician, Kool and The Gang
Salome Bey, singer
Honor Blackman, actor
Christo, artist
Christie Blatchford, journalist
Robert Tadashi Banno, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre founding president
Chadwick Boseman, actor
Kobe Bryant, professional basketball player
Bonnie Burstow, anti-psychiatry critic and educator
Pete Carmichael, musician, Diableros
David Carter, author and Stonewall historian
Brent Carver, actor
Kendall Chinn (a.k.a. Mr. Chi Pig), musician
Sean Connery, actor
Nick Cordero, actor
Simeon Coxe, musician, Silver Apples
Spencer Davis, musician
Ambrose Dlamini, Eswatini prime minister
Olivia de Havilland, actor
Brian Dennehy, actor
Chi Chi DeVayne, drag queen
Manu Dibango, musician
Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, poet laureate priest (2019)
Linda Diebel, journalist
Kirk Douglas, actor
Shirley Douglas, actor and activist
Saeb Erekat, Palestinian peace negotiator
Tony Fernandez, baseball player
Robert Fisk, journalist
Genesis P-Orridge, musician
Andy Gill, musician, Gang of Four
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Joseph Arthur Gosnell Sr., former Nisga'a Nation president
Sarah Hegazy, activist
Buck Henry, actor and screenwriter
Toots Hibbert, musician
Mary Higgins Clark, author
Ian Holm, actor
Houdini, Toronto rapper-songwriter
Rae Johnson, artist
Terry Jones, actor and director
Rishi Kapoor, actor
Irrfan Khan, actor
Hana Kimura, wrestler
Ivan Kral, musician
Larry Kramer, AIDS activist and author
John le Carré, author
Bunny Lee, reggae producer
Robert H. Lee, Prospero International Realty founder and Wall Financial Corporation cofounder
John Lewis, U.S. congressman and civil rights leader
Joseph Lin, Green Club of Vancouver founder and environmental educator
Little Richard, musician
Mike Lorimer, panhandler
Diego Maradona, soccer player
Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz musician
Howie Meeker, hockey player, commentator, MP
Paul McDonell, former Burnaby city councillor and firefighter
Terrence McNally, playwright
Ennio Morricone, composer
Daniel David Moses, First Nations playwright and poet
Joanne Nisbet, dancer, senior ballet mistress at National Ballet of Canada
Nobuhiko Obayashi, filmmaker
Neil Peart, musician, Rush
Regis Philbin, talk show host
Bonnie Pointer, singer
David Prowse, Darth Vader actor
Kelly Preston, actor
Charley Pride, musician
John Prine, musician
Rich Priske (a.k.a. Rich Rock), musician
Sushant Singh Rajput, actor
Helen Reddy, singer
Carl Reiner, actor
Diana Rigg, actor
Naya Rivera, actor
Kenny Rogers, singer-songwriter, riverboat gambler
Regan Russell, animal-rights activist
Fred Saskamoose, hockey player
Adam Schelesinger, songwriter
Joel Schumacher, director
Eddie Shack, hockey player
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, singer
Barry Shantz, activist
JR Shaw, Shaw Communications founder
Lynn Shelton, filmmaker
Gordon Smith, artist
Jerry Stiller, comedian
Kenzo Takada, fashion designer
Deanne Taylor, performer and playwright
Doug Taylor, historian
Dermod Travis, Integrity B.C. executive director
Alex Trebek, game show host
John Turner, Canadian Prime Minister
Eddie Van Halen, musician
RM Vaughan, writer and artist
Nick Volkow, former Burnaby city councillor
Max von Sydow, actor and director
Andrew Weatherall, musician and producer
Charles Webb, author
Leslie West, musician, Mountain
Bill Withers, musician
Fred Willard, actor
Betty Wright, musician
Elizabeth Wurtzel, journalist and author
Say their names
A number of tragic deaths in 2020 are a reminder that systemic racism must be dismantled.
Ahmaud Arbery
Rayshard Brooks
D’Andre Campbell
Ejaz Choudry
Joyce Echaquan
George Floyd
Regis Korchinski-Paquet
Rodney Levi
Chantel Moore
Breonna Taylor
With files from the Georgia Straight.
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