Entertainment and art figures that died in 2020

As the year draws to a close, it is time to remember the figures from the worlds of arts and entertainment who died in 2020. Here is a look back at some of those we said farewell to.

January

Derek Fowlds, Terry Jones and Nicholas Parsons

The new decade began with the deaths of Yes Minister actor Derek Fowlds, Monty Python star Terry Jones and long-time Just A Minute host Nicholas Parsons. We also lost:

TV medium Derek Acorah
Scottish entertainer Tom Alexander
Author Marion Chesney Gibbons, aka MC Beaton
Upstairs, Downstairs actor Christopher Beeny
Oscar-winning basketball star Kobe Bryant
Coronation Street actor Neville Buswell
BBC Radio Ulster presenter Stephen Clements
This Life producer Tony Garnett
The Graduate screenwriter Buck Henry
Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta
Rocky Johnson, father of ‘The Rock’
Highlander actor Stan Kirsch
US folk singer David Olney
Rush drummer Neil Peart
Christopher Tolkien, son of JRR Tolkien
Prozac Nation author Elizabeth Wurtzel

February

This was the month that Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas left us at the age of 103. It was also the month that TV presenter Caroline Flack died aged 40. We also lost:

US actor Orson Bean
US actor Robert Conrad
TV astronomer Heather Couper
Friday Night Dinner star Frances Cuka
US novelist Clive Cussler
Gang Of Four guitarist Andy Gill
Theatre director Terry Hands
Wild Geese mercenary ‘Mad Mike’ Hoare
Suspense novelist Mary Higgins Clark
Bristol music scene champion Naoki Iijima
Hidden Figures inspiration Katherine Johnson
Shoestring actor Michael Medwin
Nigerian trumpeter Victor Olaiya
US rapper Pop Smoke
Mash co-creator Gene Reynolds
Mazzy Star co-founder David Roback
Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder Joseph Shabalala
British actor John Shrapnel
Queen of Katwe actress Nikita Pearl Waligwa
BBC broadcaster Simon Warr
Music manager Tom Watkins
DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall

March

Roy Hudd, Kenny Rogers and Max Von Sydow

This was the month we said goodbye to comedian Roy Hudd, country singer Kenny Rogers and actor Max Von Sydow, star of The Exorcist and Flash Gordon. We also lost:

Desperately Seeking Susan actor Mark Blum
Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango
Star Wars actor Andrew Jack
British artist Paul Karslake
Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton
Original Supreme singer Barbara Martin
US playwright Terrence McNally
US songwriter Alan Merrill
Former Radio 2 presenter Pete Mitchell
Chef and restaurateur Michel Roux
Former BBC journalist John Stevenson
Asterix co-creator Albert Uderzo
US soul singer Bill Withers

April

Honor Blackman, Eddie Large and Tim Brooke-Taylor

Goldfinger actress Honor Blackman, comedian Eddie Large and Goodies star Tim Brooke-Taylor were among those who left us during the fourth month of 2020. We also lost:

Nigerian drummer Tony Allen
Doctor Who writer Pip Baker
UK rapper Black The Ripper
Ex-Telegraph editor John Bryant
US actor Brian Dennehy
Swedish author Per Olov Enquist
Former Watchdog host Lynn Faulds Wood
The Gentle Touch actress Jill Gascoine
Northern Irish actor BJ Hogg
Somali musician Ahmed Ismail Hussein Hudeidi
Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor
Slumdog Millionaire actor Irrfan Khan
Jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz
Ex-BBC journalist Paul Lambert
Welsh language lecturer Dr Tedi Millward
Radio Caroline founder Ronan O’Rahilly
US country-folk singer John Prine
ASAP Mob rapper Chynna Rogers
Little Women: Atlanta star Ashley Ross
Songwriter Adam Schlesinger
Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda
Kenyan author Ken Walibora

May

Little Richard, Florian Schneider and Betty Wright

This was the month the music world bid farewell to rock ‘n’ roll legend Little Richard, Kraftwerk founder Florian Schneider and R&B singer Betty Wright. We also lost:

Boys from the Blackstuff actor Michael Angelis
Was (Not Was) vocalist Hillard ‘Sweet Pea’ Atkinson
Gogglebox star June Bernicoff
Twilight actor Gregory Tyree Boyce
Algerian singer Hamid Cheriet, aka Idir
Bulgarian-born artist Christo
Magician and entertainer Roy Horn
West African singer Mory Kanté
Wrestler and reality TV star Hana Kimura
Beatles photographer Astrid Kirchherr
Playwright and activist Larry Kramer
Pretty Things frontman Phil May
Monty Don’s golden retriever Nigel
French actor Michel Piccoli
The Bill actor Tony Scannell
My Boy Lollipop singer Millie Small
Comedian and Seinfeld star Jerry Stiller
Mercury-nominated UK rapper Ty
US actor and comedian Fred Willard

June

Sir Ian Holm, Dame Vera Lynn and Carl Reiner

This was the month three beloved veterans – actor Sir Ian Holm, Forces’ Sweetheart Dame Vera Lynn and comedy legend Carl Reiner – left us. We also lost:

Beatles photographer Fiona Adams
Hollywood producer Steve Bing
Author James Bowen’s ‘Street Cat’ Bob
Actor and activist Louis Mahoney
Mash composer Johnny Mandel
Former Pointer Sisters singer Bonnie Pointer
Cuban singer Margarita Pracatan
The Sweet bassist Steve Priest
Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput
Lost Boys director Joel Schumacher
Welsh singer Ricky Valance
Spanish novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafón

July

Olivia de Havilland, Ennio Morricone and Alan Parker

This was the month we said a sad goodbye to Hollywood legend Olivia de Havilland, composer Ennio Morricone and film director Alan Parker. We also lost:

Scottish entertainer Johnny Beattie
Film and TV actor Earl Cameron
Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole
Broadway and TV actor Nick Cordero
British novelist Josephine Cox
Country singer Charlie Daniels
Fairport Convention singer Judy Dyble
Time Out founder Tony Elliott
Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green
Mythbusters host Grant Imahara
Primal Scream singer Denise Johnson
Lisa Marie Presley’s son Benjamin Keough
Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan
Porridge director Sydney Lotterby
Orlando Bloom’s labradoodle Mighty
BBC Radio Wales broadcaster Chris Needs
US TV host Regis Philbin
US actress Kelly Preston
Video games streamer Reckful
Glee cast member Naya Rivera
Scottish actor Maurice Roeves
Jazz singer and actress Annie Ross
Teenage actor Lewis Sewell
Cardiacs singer Tim Smith
Social media star Nicole Thea
Welsh broadcaster Andrew ‘Tommo’ Thomas

August

Chadwick Boseman and Ben Cross as he appeared in The Citadel

This month saw the unexpected death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman as well as the demise of Chariots of Fire actor Ben Cross. We also lost:

Music producer Martin Birch
Classical guitarist Julian Bream
Cocoon actor Wilford Brimley
Netflix documentary subject Daisy Coleman
RuPaul’s Drag Race star Chi Chi DeVayne
American pianist Leon Fleisher
1960s pop star Wayne Fontana
Wrestler James ‘Kamala’ Harris
Singer and actor Trini Lopez
Capital FM producer Joe Lyons
Granada Reports presenter Tony Morris
Children’s author James Nash
US media mogul Sumner Redstone
Scooby-Doo co-creator Joe Ruby
Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman
Rupert Young, twin brother of singer Will

September

This was the month we said goodbye to a pair of British icons – designer Sir Terence Conran and Dame Diana Rigg, star of The Avengers and Game of Thrones. We also lost:

Kool & The Gang founder Ronald Bell
Synth pioneer Simeon Coxe
Country songwriter Mac Davis
Four Seasons singer Tommy DeVito
Newspaper editor Sir Harold Evans
Singer and campaigner Patti Flynn
French singer Juliette Greco
Forrest Gump author Winston Groom
Playwright Sir Ronald Harwood
Reggae pioneer ‘Toots’ Hibbert
Welsh author and dramatist Emyr Humphreys
The Emotions singer Pamela Hutchinson
Classical actress Barbara Jefford
Ozzy Osbourne drummer Lee Kerslake
Jackass star and wrestler Stevie Lee
Early Doors actor Rodney Litchfield
Moonraker star Michael Lonsdale
So Awkward actor Archie Lyndhurst
Children’s author Sam McBratney
Czech film director Jiri Menzel
Bay City Rollers member Ian Mitchell
Colombian-American DJ Erick Morillo
Beauty blogger Ethan Peters, aka Ethan Is Supreme
Australian singer and actress Helen Reddy
Jackie Stallone, mother to actor Sylvester
Z Cars actor Frank Windsor

October

Bobby Ball as he appeared in Last of the Summer Wine, Frank Bough and Sir Sean Connery

This was the month we said farewell to comedian Bobby Ball, long-time BBC presenter Frank Bough and film star Sir Sean Connery, the first big-screen Bond. We also lost:

Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya
Actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd
Dancer Marge Champion
Welsh guitarist Spencer Davis
Deondra Dixon, Jamie Foxx’s sister
US actress Conchata Ferrell
British journalist Robert Fisk
Hollywood actress Rhonda Fleming
Singer and guitarist Gordon Haskell
Isle of Man-born photographer Chris Killip
Les Miserables lyricist Herbert Kretzmer
Former Emmerdale actor Johnny Leeze
Tony Lewis of 1980s band The Outfield
Belfast-born poet Derek Mahon
Reggae singer Johnny Nash
Bond actress Margaret Nolan
British novelist Jill Paton Walsh
Activist and filmmaker James Redford
Paralympics dancer Dave Toole
Rapper Brian Trotter, aka Kent Won’t Stop
Great British Bake Off finalist Luis Troyano
Rock guitarist Eddie Van Halen

November

Des O'Connor, Geoffrey Palmer and John Sessions

This was the month we paid our respects to entertainer Des O’Connor, TV and film actor Geoffrey Palmer and the actor and comedian John Sessions. We also lost:

Bobby Brown Jr, son of singer Bobby
Indian actor Soumitra Chatterjee
British journalist Robert Fisk
Scottish entertainer William ‘Buff’ Hardie
US actor Eddie Hassell
Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley
UK music agent Ben Kouijzer
American Idol finalist Nikki McKibbin
Travel writer and journalist Jan Morris
Darth Vader actor Dave Prowse
Back to the Future actress Elsa Raven
Scooby-Doo co-creator Ken Spears
Recording engineer Bruce Swedien
Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek
MasterChef Junior star Ben Watkins

December

As this most challenging of years drew to a close we said goodbye to best-selling author John le Carré and much-loved actress Dame Barbara Windsor. We also lost: