Alex Trebek, Salome Bey, and Neil Peart were among the Canadian icons who passed away this year. Here’s a list of notable people who died in 2020, from authors and artists to musicians and athletes.

John Baldessari, conceptual artist

Judson Beaumont, artist

Ronald Bell, musician, Kool and The Gang

Salome Bey, singer 

Honor Blackman, actor

Christo, artist

Christie Blatchford, journalist 

Robert Tadashi Banno, Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre founding president

Chadwick Boseman, actor

Kobe Bryant, professional basketball player

Bonnie Burstow, anti-psychiatry critic and educator

Pete Carmichael, musician, Diableros

David Carter, author and Stonewall historian

Brent Carver, actor

Kendall Chinn (a.k.a. Mr. Chi Pig), musician

Sean Connery, actor

Nick Cordero, actor

Simeon Coxe, musician, Silver Apples

Spencer Davis, musician

Ambrose Dlamini, Eswatini prime minister 

Olivia de Havilland, actor

Brian Dennehy, actor

Chi Chi DeVayne, drag queen 

Manu Dibango, musician

Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, poet laureate priest (2019)

Linda Diebel, journalist

Kirk Douglas, actor 

Shirley Douglas, actor and activist

Saeb Erekat, Palestinian peace negotiator

Tony Fernandez, baseball player

Robert Fisk, journalist

Genesis P-Orridge, musician

Andy Gill, musician, Gang of Four

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Joseph Arthur Gosnell Sr., former Nisga'a Nation president

Sarah Hegazy, activist

Buck Henry, actor and screenwriter

Toots Hibbert, musician

Mary Higgins Clark, author

Ian Holm, actor

Houdini, Toronto rapper-songwriter

Rae Johnson, artist

Terry Jones, actor and director

Rishi Kapoor, actor

Irrfan Khan, actor 

Hana Kimura, wrestler 

Ivan Kral, musician

Larry Kramer, AIDS activist and author

John le Carré, author

Bunny Lee, reggae producer

Robert H. Lee, Prospero International Realty founder and Wall Financial Corporation cofounder

John Lewis, U.S. congressman and civil rights leader 

Joseph Lin, Green Club of Vancouver founder and environmental educator

Little Richard, musician

Mike Lorimer, panhandler

Diego Maradona, soccer player

Ellis Marsalis Jr., jazz musician

Howie Meeker, hockey player, commentator, MP

Paul McDonell, former Burnaby city councillor and firefighter

Terrence McNally, playwright

Ennio Morricone, composer 

Daniel David Moses, First Nations playwright and poet

Joanne Nisbet, dancer, senior ballet mistress at National Ballet of Canada

Nobuhiko Obayashi, filmmaker

Neil Peart, musician, Rush

Regis Philbin, talk show host

Bonnie Pointer, singer

David Prowse, Darth Vader actor

Kelly Preston, actor

Charley Pride, musician

John Prine, musician

Rich Priske (a.k.a. Rich Rock), musician

Sushant Singh Rajput, actor

Helen Reddy, singer

Carl Reiner, actor

Diana Rigg, actor

Naya Rivera, actor

Kenny Rogers, singer-songwriter, riverboat gambler

Regan Russell, animal-rights activist

Fred Saskamoose, hockey player

Adam Schelesinger, songwriter

Joel Schumacher, director

Eddie Shack, hockey player

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, singer

Barry Shantz, activist

JR Shaw, Shaw Communications founder 

Lynn Shelton, filmmaker

Gordon Smith, artist

Jerry Stiller, comedian

Kenzo Takada, fashion designer

Deanne Taylor, performer and playwright

Doug Taylor, historian

Dermod Travis, Integrity B.C. executive director

Alex Trebek, game show host

John Turner, Canadian Prime Minister

Eddie Van Halen, musician

RM Vaughan, writer and artist 

Nick Volkow, former Burnaby city councillor

Max von Sydow, actor and director

Andrew Weatherall, musician and producer

Charles Webb, author

Leslie West, musician, Mountain

Bill Withers, musician

Fred Willard, actor

Betty Wright, musician

Elizabeth Wurtzel, journalist and author

Say their names

A number of tragic deaths in 2020 are a reminder that systemic racism must be dismantled.

Ahmaud Arbery

Rayshard Brooks

D’Andre Campbell

Ejaz Choudry

Joyce Echaquan

George Floyd

Regis Korchinski-Paquet

Rodney Levi

Chantel Moore

Breonna Taylor

With files from the Georgia Straight.