Gone Too Soon: Celebrities We Lost In 2020

Jas Waters

Jas Waters died on June 9 at 39 years old.

As a write on This Is Us, the news of her passing was confirmed by her family from the series on June 10. In addition to writing for the hit NBC drama, Waters also worked on shows including Kidding, Hood Adjacent With James Davis, and The Breaks.

Chi Chi DaVayne

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Chi Chi DeVayne died on August 20 at the age of 34. She had been hospitalized with suspected kidney failure.

DeVayne — the stage name of Zavion Davenport — was an accomplished entertainer who competed season 8 of Drag Race and returned for All-Stars 3. DeVayne had a small part on season 1 of the Apple TV+ anthology dramedy Little America, appeared on fellow Drag Race alum Yuhua Hamasaki’s Bootleg Opinions YouTube series

Ronald “Khalis” Bell

Ronald “Khalis” Bell, a founding member of Kool & the Gang, died at the age of 68 on September 9. A cause of death was not announced.

Bell formed the group with his brother Robert “Kool” Bell, Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, Robert “Spike” Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West in 1964. He was co-writer, arranger and producer on some of the group’s most famous songs, including “Ladies’ Night,” “Get Down on It,” and the No. 1 single “Celebration.”