Notable Historical and Celebrity Deaths of 2020
Actor and comedian Orson Bean, 1928 – 2020
Longtime ‘To Tell the Truth’ panelist was also a regular on ‘The Tonight Show’ where he appeared more than 200 times.
Actress Dawn Wells
Television’s “Mary Ann” on Gilligan’s Island at age 82.
Actor Sean Connery, 1930 – 2020
Hollywood legend who brought 007 James Bond to life on the silver screen. The best James Bond.
Actress Honor Blackman, 1925 – 2020
Longtime actress portrayed Catherine Gale on ‘The Avengers’ and may be best know for playing the James Bond character Pussy Galore in ‘Goldfinger’
Actor Chadwick Boseman, 1976 – 2020
Best known for his blockbuster role as Black Panther, Boseman also portrayed Jackie Robinson in the movie ’42′
Actor Wilford Brimley, 1934 – 2020
Film and TV actor with notable roles in films like ‘The Natural’ may best be remembered for his long-running television commercials.
MLB All-Star Lou Brock, 1939 – 2020
Longtime Cardinals outfield was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1985.
NBA star Kobe Bryant, 1978 – 2020
18-time NBA All Star was also 2008 league MVP and won 5 NBA Championships
Actor Edd Byrnes, 1932 – 2020
Longtime TV actor best known for his role in ’77 Sunset Strip’ and for playing TV host Vince Fontaine in ‘Grease’
Fashion designer Pierre Cardin, 1922 – 2020
Longtime fashion designer was a pioneer in modern and futuristic styles
Author Mary Higgins Clark, 1927 – 2020
Mystery and suspense writer with dozens of novels to her name.
Actor Robert Conrad, 1935 – 2020
Played agent James T. West on the television show ‘Wild Wild West’ and Major Boyington on ‘Black Sheep Squadron
Singer and songwriter Mac Davis, 1942 – 2020
Country music singer who wrote several hits for Elvis Presley including ‘A Little Less Conversation’
Actress Olivia de Havilland, 1916 – 2020
Golden Age of Hollywood performer who appeared in multiple films opposite Errol Flynn; also appeared in ‘Gone With the Wind’ as Melanie Hamilton
Actor Bryan Dennehy, 1938 – 2020
Longtime television and film actor who appeared in a vide variety of movies like ‘First Blood,’ ‘Cocoon’ and ‘Tommy Boy’
Singer Tommy DeVito, 1928 – 2020
Founding member of The Four Seasons
Actor Kevin Dobson, 1943 – 2020
Soap opera actor best known for his roles on ‘Knots Landing’ and ‘Days of Our Lives’
Actor Kirk Douglas, 1916 – 2020
Longtime actor, father of Michael Douglas and Hollywood royalty, Douglas starred in many blockbusters including ‘Spartacus’ and ’20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’
Shortstop Tony Fernandez, 1962 – 2020
Actress Rhonda Fleming, 1923 – 2020
Longtime Hollywood actress was known as ‘The Queen of Technicolor’
Pitcher Whitey Ford, 1928 – 2020
Longtime Yankees starter won the Cy Young Award and was world series MVP in 1961
MLB pitcher Bob Gibson, 1935 – 2020
A 1981 HoF inductee was among the all-time strikeouts leaders
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933 – 2020
Supreme Court Justice from 1993 – 2020
Musician Peter Green, 1946 – 2020
Guitarist and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Director and writer Buck Henry, 1930 – 2020
Twice nominated for Academy Awards (‘The Graduate’ and ‘Heaven Can Wait’), Henry helped create the series ‘Get Smart’
Magician Roy Horn, 1944 – 2020
Part of the Las Vegas entertainment duo Sigfried & Roy.
Singer Bonnie Pointer
One of the three Pointer Sisters.
Singer Millie Small
Jamaican singer best known for ‘My Bob Lollipop” in the 1960s.
MLB outfielder Al Kaline, 1934 – 2020
Longtime Tigers outfielder went to 18 All Star Games and was a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Benjamin Keough, 1997-2020
Son of Lisa Marie Presley, brother of Riley Keough, grandson of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.
TV host Tom Kennedy, 1927 – 2020
Host of many game shows including ‘You Don’t Say!’ and ‘Name That Tune’
Country singer and songwriter Hal Ketchum, 1953-2020
Known for hits like ‘Small Town Saturday Night’ and ‘Hearts Are Gonna Roll’
Actor David Lander, 1947 – 2020
Best known for playing the character Squiggy on ‘Laverne & Shirley’
Pitcher Don Larsen, 1929 – 2020
Pitched the only perfect game in World Series history
Author John le Carré, 1931 – 2020
British spy novelist who penned works including ‘The Spy Who Came In from the Cold’ and ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’
News anchor Jim Lehrer, 1934 – 2020
Longtime PBS anchorman and presidential debate moderator
MLB player and coach Joe Morgan, 1943 – 2020
Hall of Fame player and former coach who transitioned to broadcasting
Singer and songwriter Johnny Nash, 1940 – 2020
Best known for his hit ‘I Can See Clearly Now’
Fred ‘Curly’ Neal, 1942 – 2020
Longtime member of the Harlem Globetrotters
Pitcher Phil Niekro, 1939 – 2020
Hall of Fame pitcher who helped make the knuckleball famous won more than 300 games in his long pro career.
Actor Ken Osmond, 1943 – 2020
Played Eddie Haskell on ‘Leave it to Beaver’
Singer Richard Wayne Penniman (Little Richard), 1932 – 2020
One of the first members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
TV host Regis Philbin, 1931 – 2020
Longtime talk show host who also hosted game shows like ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’
Actress Kelly Preston, 1962 – 2020
Appeared in dozens of films and TV shows from the ’80s onward; wife of actor John Travolta
Singer Charley Pride, 1934 – 2020
Former baseball player, Grammy Award winner and 2000 inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame
Singer and songwriter John Prine, 1946 – 2020
Grammy-winning country and folk singer
Actor and comedian Carl Reiner, 1922 – 2020
Won multiple Emmy Awards for his work on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ among others.
Actress Diana Rigg, 1938 – 2020
Longtime actress played Emma Peel on ‘The Avengers’ and also appeared as the wife of James Bond in ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’
Actress Naya Rivera, 1987 – 2020
Former ‘Glee’ actress
Singer and songwriter Kenny Rogers, 1938 – 2020
Multiple Grammy winner and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame best known for hits like ‘The Gambler,’ ‘Lucille’ and ‘Lady’
Actor John Saxon, 1936 – 2020
Appeared in multiple westerns and horror films and starred with Bruce Lee in ‘Enter the Dragon’
Running back Gale Sayers, 1943 – 2020
Youngest player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after injuries cut his career for the Bears short.
Coach Don Shula, 1930 – 2020
Winningest coach in NFL history, coached Miami Dolphins to first perfect season in NFL.
Pitcher Tom Seaver, 1944 – 2020
Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, ‘Tom Terrific’ is still among the all-time leaders in strikeouts.
Actor and comedian Jerry Stiller, 1927 – 2020
Father of actor Ben Stiller, Jerry was a longtime Hollywood mainstay in his own right. Enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after appearing on ‘Seinfeld’ as George’s father.
Musician Peter Tork, 1942 – 2020
Keyboardist for The Monkees
TV host Alex Trebek, 1940 – 2020
Longtime host of ‘Jeopardy!’ and many other game shows
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen, 1955 – 2020
Co-founder and songwriter for Van Halen.
Actor Lyle Waggoner, 1935 – 2020
Longtime actor on ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’ Waggoner also played Steve Trevor on ‘Wonder Woman’ in the ’70s
Actor Fred Willard, 1933 – 2020
The Ohio native had a string of guest appearances on popular television shows in the ’80s and ’90s while appearing in many Christopher Guest films as well.
Singer Bill Withers, 1938 – 2020
Member of the Rock Hall and Songwriters Hall of Fame, Withers’ hits included ‘Lean on Me’ and ‘Just the Two of Us’
Singer Betty Wright, 1953 – 2020
Known for her hits like ‘Tonight is the Night’ and ‘Clean Up Woman.’
Aviator Chuck Yeager, 1923 – 2020
Former military pilot and first man to break the flight sound barrier.
Singer Doug Supernaw, 1960 – 2020
Country Music star.
Musician Spencer Davis
Phyllis George, 1950-2020
Sportscaster and Miss America
Singer Joe Diffie
Country Music.
Singer Johnny Bush
Country Music
Singer and fiddler Charlie Daniels
Country Music.
Singer Trini Lopez
“If I had a hammer.”
Singer Helen Reddy, 1947-2020
“I am woman.”
Singer Marty Grebb
The Buckinghams “Kind of a Drag”
Singer Chris Darrow
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Singer Barbara Martin
The Supremes
Norm Crosby
Singer Roy Head
“Treat Her Right.”
Singer Jackie Dennis
Scottish Rock n’ Roller, 1950s. Died at 77.
Singer Len
Baby Boomers History Sports & Leisure Trivia, Baby Boomers Celebrities Classic TV Entertainment History Hollywood Sports Theater Trivia,
Texans Jack & Dodie View All →
Raised in San Antonio, Jack Dennis’ early experiences were as a newspaper reporter and private investigator. With a Texas State University bachelor’s degree, Jack studied journalism, education and psychology. He was the founding vice-president of Sigma Delta Chi, the Association of Professional Journalists at the University. Jack has received numerous awards, including Investigative Reporter of the Year from Rocky Mountain Press Association, David Ashworth Community Award, and Leadership in Management.
Some of the people and groups Jack has interviewed include:
Music
Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, George Strait, Roy Orbison, Justin Timberlake, Steven Tyler, Freddie Mercury, Kenny Rogers, Kenny Loggins, Jackson Browne, Steve Wariner, Tanya Tucker, Scotty Moore, Fats Domino, Patty Page, Tommy Roe, Emmy Lou Harris, Johnny Rivers, Charly McClain, Kinky Friedman, John McFee, Guy Allison & Patrick Simmons (Doobie Brothers) , Randy Bachman (BTO), Jim Messina, Todd Rundgren, Alvin Lee, Gary Puckett, The Ventures, Freddy Cannon, Augie Meyer, Christopher Cross, Whiskey Myers, Sha Na Na (John “Bowzer” Baumann), Flash Cadillac, Jerry Scheff, John Wilkinson, Darrell McCall, and more.
Politicians & News
George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Lady Bird Johnson, Greg Abbott, Rudolph Giuliani, Larry King, Jack Anderson, Tom Bradley, Connie Mack, and more.
Actors
Clint Eastwood, Mike Myers, Taylor Lautner, Cameron Diaz, Jerry Lewis, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, Selena Gomez, Tippi Hedren, James Earl Jones, James Woods, Jim Nabors, Martha Raye, Rosalind Russell, June Lockhart, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Howie Mandel, Meg Ryan, Cheri Oteri, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, James Drury, Melanie Griffith, Nathan Lane, Alan Thicke, Lou Diamond Phillips, Clint Howard, Tony Sirico, Cesar Romero, Michael Berryman, Tracy Scoggins, William Windom, Warren Stevens and more.
Space Explorers
Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Wally Schirra, Dave Scott, Gene Cernan, Walt Cunningham, Scott Carpenter, Gene Kranz (NASA Flight Director), Ed Mitchell, Richard Gordon, Bruce McCandless, Vanentina Treshkova (first woman in space, Russia), Alex Leonov (first man to walk in space, Russian), Al Worden, Dee O’Hara (nurse to astronauts) and more.
Sports: Joe Torre, Roger Staubach, Bob Hayes, Billie Jean King, Manuela Maleeva, Drew Pearson, Bob Lilly, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, George Gervin, Tony Parker, Shannon Miller, Cathy Rigby, Bruce Bowen, Wade Boggs, Fernando Valenzuela, Bernie Kosar, Dale Murphy, Jim Abbott, Dick Bartell, Mike Schmidt, Dan Pastorini and more.
Notables
May Pang, Bob Eubanks, Vernon Presley, Vester Presley, Charlie Hodge, Joe Esposito, Rick Stanley (Elvis’ step-brother, Harold Lloyd (Elvis’ first cousin), Doyle Brunson, Kara Peller, Hank Meijer, Norman Brinkler, Stanley Marcus, Jerry King, Mac King, Nathan Burton, Zach Anner, Louie Anderson, Owen Benjamin, Steve Byrne and more.
As head of Facilities for a major retailer (H-E-B Food/Drugs) for 20 years, Jack co-founded Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) and was elected President to establish PRSM magazine. Jack is a writer, speaker, golf-concierge and happiness coach. He has researched and studied happiness for over 40 years.
Jack was a prolific writer for Examiner.com, with over 1,900 articles written in six years. His articles and stories have appeared in AXS Entertainment, The ROWDY Country Music, Memphis Flash, and numerous magazines.
He is author of “Miracles of Justice,” a true courtroom drama novel about social injustice and miracles.
