Notable deaths of 2020

At their essence, obituaries are about making connections with strangers. Even celebrities, seemingly well-known, are mysteries to most of us, their humanity lost beneath their public persona and behind the publicity hype. The craft of the obituary involves excavating another person’s humanity, so that we might better understand a life perhaps far different from our own. These obituaries, a sampling of the thousands that appeared this year in The Washington Post, offer portraits of a small number of the inconceivable number of lives lost in 2020, and an opportunity to remember those who have shaped our shared humanity.

Terry Jones

Jan. 21, age 77 | The British writer and actor injected a surreal silliness into pop culture as a charter member of the Monty Python comedy juggernaut, playing roles as varied as a revoltingly obese gourmand and the annoyed mother of an accidental messiah named Brian. 

Jim Lehrer

Jan. 23, age 85 | The understated television newscaster co-founded what is now “The PBS NewsHour,” which he anchored for 36 years, and was dubbed the “dean of moderators” for presiding over 12 presidential debates. 

Kobe Bryant

Jan. 26, age 41 | The five-time NBA champion’s tirelessness and competitive drive were as notable as his versatility and ambition. Known late in his career by the nickname “Black Mamba,” Mr. Bryant was one of the smoothest and most dangerous shooters in a league previously dominated by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. 

Mary Higgins Clark

Jan. 31, age 92 | She was one of the most successful crime writers of all time, pouring out novel after novel about resilient women befallen by unnatural deaths, disappearances and wicked criminal deeds.

Kirk Douglas

Feb. 5, age 103 | With a distinctive cleft chin, raspy voice and highly charged dramatic energy, he became one of Hollywood’s foremost leading men and enduring stars. He also produced and directed films; helped put an end to the Hollywood blacklist in the 1950s; wrote memoirs, novels and children’s books; and with his second wife, Anne Douglas, ran a project to improve school playgrounds in underprivileged neighborhoods.

Beverly Pepper

Feb. 5, age 97 | The American sculptor transformed tons of steel and stone into airy creations that enlivened the public spaces they occupied and were displayed in some of the most important art museums in the world.

Barbara “B.” Smith

Feb. 22, age 70 | A top Black fashion model in the 1970s, she parlayed her glamour and personality into ventures as a restaurateur, TV host and lifestyle maven. 

Katherine Johnson

Feb. 24, age 101 | Laboring in obscurity for much of her life, she developed equations that helped the NACA and its successor, NASA, send astronauts into orbit and, later, to the moon. In 26 signed reports for the space agency, and in many more papers that bore others’ signatures on her work, she codified mathematical principles that remain at the core of human space travel. 

Max von Sydow

March 8, age 90 | The brooding Swedish star was a mainstay of Ingmar Bergman’s movie masterpieces, but in a career spanning seven decades and more than 150 films, the breadth and lucidity of his performances — in roles that were commanding, stoic, tormented and, at times, broadly comic — elevated him to the highest echelon of international cinema. 

Betty Williams

March 18, age 76 | After witnessing a stray bullet striking a toddler, she abandoned her anonymous life as a Belfast mother for one of full-time advocacy and received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Kenny Rogers

March 20, age 81 | The country-pop crooner specialized in narrative-driven ballads such as “Lucille” and “The Gambler,” the second of which sent its life-as-a-card-game refrain echoing through popular culture.

Fred “Curly” Neal

March 26, age 77 | For decades, the Harlem Globetrotter amazed crowds with his nimble dribbling skills, keeping the ball bouncing even as he dropped to his knees, spun around in circles and sprang back to his feet.

Joseph Lowery

March 27, age 98 | The civil rights leader was among the prominent ministers who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He served as the group’s president for 20 years. 

Tom Coburn

March 28, age 72 | The Oklahoma obstetrician served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, where he became known as “Dr. No” for his unyielding opposition to federal spending and pork-barrel largesse. His unwavering commitment to social and fiscal conservatism was manifest in his opposition to abortion rights, same-sex marriage, global-warming science and federal government expansion. 

Bill Withers

March 30, age 81 |The Grammy winner wrote and sang a string of soulful hits in the 1970s that remain cultural staples, including “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” 

Ellis Marsalis

April 1, age 85 | He was a leading jazz pianist in New Orleans for decades and the father of four sons who became acclaimed musicians, including superstars Branford and Wynton Marsalis. 

source: www.Washingtonpost.com