Gone Too Soon: Celebrities We Lost In 2020

2020 was a year filled with both uncertainty and unprecedented tragedy, which included losing some of the most beloved stars on the planet.

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty

As we put 2020 behind us, let’s remember all of the celebrities we lost this past year.

Kobe Bryant

For fans who loved Kobe Bryant while he was here and those who just admired his incredible career from afar, this loss still seems unreal. The Lakers legend was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26. He was 41 years old. The crash also killed his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the 7 others onboard.

Kobe Bryant was drafted into. the NBA at just 18, one of the youngest players in the league’s history. He went on to become a five-time NBA champion during his 20 years as a Laker before retiring in 2016. Two years later, he won an Oscar for Best Animated Short for the film Dear Basketball. 

Chadwick Boseman

Fans were shocked by the news of Chadwick Boseman’s death on August 28. The actor died at the age of 43 following complications from colon cancer, which he battled privately for 4 years.

Boseman built his career portraying iconic Black characters, including baseball player Jackie Robinson in 42, music icon James Brown in Get on Up, and Thurgood Marshall in Marshall. In his most recognizable role, he appeared as T’Challa in The Black Panther and various Avengers films. Most recently, he starred in the crime drama 21 Bridges and Spike Lee’s war drama Da 5 Bloods.