Over the July 4 holiday, Naya Rivera went missing while boating with her young son on Lake Piru in California. While he was found hours later on the vessel, Rivera, unfortunately, had accidentally drowned while swimming. Her Glee cast-mates posted an onslaught of emotional tributes to social media.
Chadwick Boseman
On August 28, Chadwick Boseman passed away due to complications from colon cancer. The shock was immense: very few knew that The Blank Panther star was terminally ill. In reality, he’d been diagnosed in 2016, and even filmed several movies while undergoing chemotherapy. On Twitter, former president Barack Obama wrote: “To be young, gifted, and Black; to use that power to give them heroes to look up to; to do it all while in pain – what a use of his years.”
Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg passed away in her London home on September 10. The storied actor had a long career and both film and television—she was made a Dame in 1994 for her services to drama—and recently became loved by a new generation for her role on Game of Thrones.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The September 18 death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg from cancer plunged a nation into mourning—and turmoil, as the ethics on whether to fill her seat on The Supreme Court raged on in the Capital. (Ginsburg’s dying wish is that she would not be replaced until the country elected a new president. It wasn’t respected.)
She was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Sean Connery
Sean Connery, who held the iconic role of James Bond, died at age 90 on October 31. His ashes are to be spread in his home country of Scotland as soon as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek died on November 8, 18 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The longtime Jeopardy host was 80 years old, and had hosted over 8,000 episodes of the game show.