Gone Too Soon: Celebrities We Lost In 2020

Little Richard

Little Richard died on May 9 at the age of 87. He died after a years-long battle with bone cancer.

As one of the foremost originators of rock and roll, Little Richard’s flamboyant performance style single-handedly paved the way for generations of popular music entertainers, from the Beatles to Elton John to Prince. His hit singles in the mid-’50s include songs like “Long Tall Sally,” “Tutti Frutti,” “Slippin & Slidin,” and “Jenny, Jenny.”

Alex Trebek

About 8 months after announcing his diagnosis with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek died on November 8 at the age of 80.

“This is an enormous loss for the Jeopardy! staff, crew, and all of Alex’s millions of fans,” said Jeopardy! Executive Producer Mike Richards. “He was a legend of the industry that we were all lucky to watch night after night for 37 years. Working beside him for the past year and a half as he heroically continued to host Jeopardy! was an incredible honor.”

Tommy “Tiny” Lister

Tommy “Tiny” Lister, known his role as the neighborhood bully Deebo in the Friday movies, died at the age of 62 on December 10. Lister’s other TV and film credits include The Players Club, Posse, The Dark Knight, Little Nicky, Jackie Brown, and The Fifth Element.

While his cause of death still hasn’t been announced, Lister had reportedly been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms in the days leading up to his death.