Famous people who passed away in 2020

So far, 2020 has been an extremely challenging year with Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown hampering people’s plans for the year and contributing to many job losses and death.

Rekord takes a look at some local and international faces that we’ve lost.

– Joseph Shabalala – The South African singer and musician died on 11 February at the age of 79.

– Vinolia Mashego – She died on 3 April at the age of 57.

READ MORE: Former Jam Alley presenter dies

– Allen Booi – He died on 20 July at the age of 77.

– Elize Cawood – The famed South African actress died on 18 July. She was 68-years-old.

– Mary Twala – Theactress was 81 when she died on 4 July.

– Big Boy Maja – The Skeem Saam actor who died in April, was 53.

– Karabo Mokhubela – The actor passed away at the age of 40 on 26 July.

– Kobe Bryant – The NBA star died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, in January. Kobe was travelling with eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

– Nikki McKibbin – The American Idol season one finalist died at age 42. She suffered an aneurysm on 28 October.

– Elsa Raven – Died on 3 November, at the age of 91. Best known for her roles in Titanic and Back to the Future.

– Sean Connery – The actor, best known for playing James Bond, died at age 90 on 31 October.

– Eddie van Halen – The Van Halen guitarist died of cancer in October. He was 65.

– Chadwick Boseman – Best known for his role as T’Challa in Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, died at age 43 in August after a four-year battle with colon cancer.

READ MORE: Black Panther’s Chadwick Boseman has died

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg – The US Supreme Court justice and women’s rights pioneer died at age 87 on 18 September, after battling metastatic pancreatic cancer.

– John Lewis – The congressman and civil rights icon died at age 80 in July, after battling stage four pancreatic cancer.

– Regis Philbin – The famed television host died of natural causes at age 88 on 24 July.

– Diana Rigg – The actress, who was well known for her roles on Game of Thrones, in The Avengers, and in the James Bond franchise, died at age 82 in September.

– Naya Rivera – The Glee actress was found dead on 13 July, five days after she went missing while boating with her 4-year-old son. She was 33.

– Stevie Lee – The actor and wrestler died at age 54 on 9 September.

– Zindzi Mandela – South Africa’s ambassador to Denmark and the youngest daughter of Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, died on 13 July, at age 59.

– Kelly Preston – After a two-year battle with breast cancer, the actress died on 12 July. She was 57.

– Nick Cordero – The Broadway star was 41 when he died in July, after a months-long battle with Covid-19.

– Mary Pat Gleason – The actress, who starred in A Cinderella Story and on Moms, died of cancer on 2 June. She was 70.

– Jerry Stiller – The actor, whose memorable roles include those on Seinfeld and The King of Queens, died from natural causes in May. He was the father of actor Ben Stiller, he was 88-years-old.

– Ian Holm – The Lord of the Rings actor died from an illness related to Parkinson’s disease in June. He was 88.

– Caroline Flack – The former Love Island host died at age 40 on 15 February, to an apparent suicide.

– Nikita Pearl Waligwa – The star of Disney’s Queen of Katwe died at age 15 in February — over three years after she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

– Fred Willard – The actor known for Modern Family, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy — died at age 86 in May.

– Nick Gordon – The former partner of Bobbi Kristina Brown died from a reported drug overdose on New Year’s Day. He was 30.

– Silvio Horta – The creator of Ugly Betty creator died in January at the age of 45.

– Rocky Johnson – The father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson died in January at the age of 75.

– Kirk Douglas – He died on 5 February, at the age of 103.

– Kenny Rogers – He died of natural causes at age 81 on 20 March.

– Irrfan Khan – The Bollywood star and Slumdog Millionaire actor died on 29 April, at the age of 53. He had a rare form of cancer.

– Benjamin Keough – Elvis Presley’s grandson died in July, he was 27.

• Diego Maradona – Iconic soccer player for Argentina died 25 November 2020 at the age of 60.

This article was republished from Rekord East with permission

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