2020 was a nightmarish year, which left nearly two million dead in just ten months. With such a staggering number, it is very likely you knew someone personally who has passed away last year, and not just because of the virus. It is also very likely you knew somebody on the big screen who passed away last year. Among the faces of those who passed was a basketball legend, Kobe Bryant. “Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26 in Calabasas, California, alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others” (USMagazine.com). Bryant was 41 at the time. His death came as a complete shock to the nation, and his teammates and colleagues as well as every avid basketball fan feel his loss every day. It was a horrible way to kick off 2020, and things only got worse from there. In March, the US went on lockdown in the hopes of keeping the coronavirus at bay. It seemed as though things would only get better from there, then the summer of 2020 hit.

In almost rapid succession, the world lost Glee star Naya Rivera and the Black Panther Chadwick Boseman in July and August. Rivera seemingly drowned during an outing with her son at Lake Piru, where she used “the last of her strength to save her 4-year-old son before she died” (CNN) after she pushed him back onto the boat but was unable to save herself. This was followed by Chadwick Boseman’s shocking death. Boseman was battling colon cancer which he eventually lost on August 28th. The Black Panther star had been struggling with the illness for four years, starting out with stage three and later, unfortunately, progressing to stage four. As 2020 came to a close, familiar faces around the globe started to disappear as well as many talented creators.

2021 seems to be no different in terms of how unfortunately extraordinary it is. The US Capitol was stormed in early January, a vaccine is well on its way into the arms of millions of Americans, and we are still losing famous faces. Broadcasting giant Larry King passes away due to sepsis and two unknown underlying issues. Previously it was thought that the talk show host and radio star passed after being diagnosed with covid, because “King was admitted to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, in December during his battle with COVID-19” (Insider.com) but this would be incorrect. Another resounding death in early 2021 is that of Christopher Plummer, who died on February 5th at the age of 91. Plummer was best known for his roles in “The Sound of Music,” “Beginners,” “All the Money in the World” and “Knives Out”.