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We remember the sports stars who died in 2020, including Kobe Bryant, Diego Maradona, and more.
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Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history. Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, while traveling with his daughter Gianna and seven others on their way to a basketball game.
Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona, one of the world’s greatest soccer players, has died at the age of 60.
Maradona had a long and successful career, playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world including Barcelona and Napoli. He also had a hugely successful spell with the Argentine national team, leading them to victory in the 1986 World Cup.
However, Maradona is perhaps just as well known for his struggles with addiction and mental health issues. He battled drug and alcohol addiction for much of his life and was hospitalized several times as a result.
Despite his problems, Maradona remained a hugely popular figure both in Argentina and around the world. He will be remembered as one of the greatest soccer players of all time.
Kirk Douglas
In 2020, the world lost a number of revered sports stars. Among them was Kirk Douglas, an American actor who appeared in such classics as Spartacus, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and The Bad and the Beautiful. He died on February 5 at the age of 103.
Sean Connery
Former James Bond star Sean Connery died on Saturday at the age of 90, his family said.
The Scottish actor, who shot to fame playing the British spy in the 1962 movie “Dr. No,” was considered by many to be the best actor to have played the role.
Connery won an Academy Award for his role as a Scottish king in “The Untouchables” and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.
Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek, the beloved host of the game show “Jeopardy!,” died on November 8, 2020, at age 80, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Trebek had been the face of “Jeopardy!” since 1984, and his death sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.
Trebek was born in Sudbury, Ontario, in 1940, and he began his career in broadcasting in the 1960s. He first gained notoriety as the host of “The Wizard of Odds,” a Canadian game show, before moving to the United States in 1973 to host another game show, “The $128,000 Question.” Trebek’s big break came in 1984 when he was chosen to be the host of “Jeopardy!,” a job he would hold for 36 years.
Trebek was known for his quick wit and sharp mind, and he won seven Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on “Jeopardy!.” He was also known for his philanthropy; Trebek was a supporter of many charities, including pancreatic cancer research.
Trebek’s death comes as a shock to many fans of “Jeopardy!,” who will miss his warm presence on the show.
Naya Rivera
Naya Rivera, best known for her role as Santana Lopez on the musical comedy series “Glee,” died July 8 at age 33. The actress and singer drowned after going swimming in a Californialake with her 4-year-old son.
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, died on August 28 at 43 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. He was diagnosed in 2016, but he never stopped working, starring in several films during his treatment. His final role was in the film Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which was released posthumously.
Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin, the beloved TV personality who Over the course of his 60-year entertainment career, Philbin appeared on some of television’s most popular shows, passing away on July 24, 2020, at the age of 88.
Carl Reiner
Comedic legend Carl Reiner passed away on Monday at the age of 98.
Reiner was best known for his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which he created and wrote. He also directed films like The Jerk and Oh, God!.
Reiner won nine Emmy Awards over the course of his career.
John Lewis
John Lewis, an All-Star infielder for the New York Yankees who helped the team win five World Series championships in the 1950s and ’60s, has died. He was 88.
Lewis died Wednesday night in Tampa, Florida, according to the Yankees. The team did not provide any other details.
Lewis was a two-time All-Star who hit .286 with 160 homers and 821 RBIs in 1,214 career games with the Yankees from 1955-66. He batted cleanup behind Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle in some of the most formidable lineups in baseball history.
