The past year has been devastating in terms of human cost. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States alone, and wreaked havoc on the global economy.
On a smaller scale, numerous celebrity deaths gave the year a depressing quality, due to the sheer speed with which major stars passed away in the course of twelve months.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant, storied basketball player and hero to millions of fans, died on January 26, 2020 in a freak helicopter crash. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also with him when the helicopter crashed.
Bryant’s death caused an outpouring of support to his surviving family by fans and teammates alike. Memorials and tributes to the basketball superstar were swift, with many in the public sphere commenting on how influential Bryant was both in his sport and in popular culture.
Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek, best-known for hosting the game show Jeopardy for decades, passed away on November 8, 2020 after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek, who was born in Canada but became a naturalized American citizen, was beloved by millions of households for his warm personality and quick wit while hosting the popular show.
The host was so popular, in fact, that he was contracted to stay on the show until 2022, despite already being 80 in 2020. Suffice it to say, the producers were far from the only fans of the long-running host.
Sean Connery
Legendary Scottish actor and longtime James Bond star Sean Connery passed away on Halloween Day in 2020. He popularized the role of Bond in films released throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with his deep speaking voice and particular accent characterizing the spy for audiences around the world. His death in 2020 came as a shock to the public, as it was not known at the time that he had been in poor health.
Connery, who was once named “Scotland’s Greatest National Treasure” and People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man of the Century” in 1999, was 90 when he passed away.
Pop Smoke
Bashar Barakah Jackson, who performed under the stage name Pop Smoke, was killed in a home invasion on February 19. The young rap star, who was only 20 at the time of his death, was rapidly gaining fame and attention for his work. His posthumously-released album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon put all 19 of its tracks on the Billboard Hot 100 list.
