Top 10 Most Shocking Deaths of 2020

2020 is a new decade and has had such shocking moments.

Like 2019, 2020 has gained a huge reputation for notable deaths. We saw some of the biggest legends die early in the new year and decade. Here's the list.

The Top Ten

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) was an American professional basketball player who played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He won five NBA championships with the Lakers and retired in 2016 as the franchise's all-time leading scorer.... read more

We lost a true legend. Kobe Bryant, the greatest member of the Lakers, the youngest All-Star in basketball history, the greatest scorer in the Lakers' franchise history, and one of the greatest basketball players and athletes ever, was known for his 20 years in the game. He was killed in an unexpected helicopter accident in Southern California along with his 13-year-old daughter. He was only 41. Never in ages have we lost such an important sports legend. He was a player of a generation. R.I.P. Kobe Bryant 1978-2020.

If this isn't number one, I don't know what is. I'm not a basketball fan, but this is one of the most shocking celebrity deaths I've ever experienced. He seemed like such a nice guy. R.I.P. Kobe.
Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart (September 12, 1952 to January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician and writer best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. He received numerous awards for his musical performances, including induction into the Modern Drummer Readers Poll Hall of Fame... read more

Neil Peart, the lead member and drummer of the band Rush and among the greatest drummers ever, passed away after a three-and-a-half-year battle with brain cancer. He was 67. What a shocking loss for rock 'n' roll, music in general, and especially drumming. R.I.P. Neil Peart 1952-2020.
Sultan Qaboos

I haven't heard of any of these other guys as I'm more into geopolitics than sports, so this was the most shocking in my opinion. Mr. Qaboos was one of the best leaders ever in the Middle East, transforming Oman from a relatively poor nation into one of the developed Gulf nations. R.I.P.

Like DarthVadern said, I am into geopolitics as well. Sultan Qaboos developed Oman into a prosperous country. His cousin, who took power, promised to continue Qaboos's policies.

The longest-serving ruler of Arabia and the UAE, passed away at 79 from a condition. R.I.P. Sultan Qaboos 1941-2020.
Rocky Johnson

The famed wrestler of WWE and father of Dwayne Johnson, who helped Dwayne follow in his footsteps, passed away from an unexpected heart attack caused by a blood clot in his leg at only 75. January 15th was Dwayne Johnson's worst day. R.I.P. Rocky Johnson 1944-2020.

The father of Dwayne The Rock Johnson and famed WWE wrestler has passed away. It's a shocking moment for wrestling fans and Rocky's family.
Richard Maponya

Richard Maponya, the leader who helped the black business community in South Africa and was a hero in leading such efforts, passed away from a short, unexpected illness at 99. He lived strong until the very end. What a loss for the community. R.I.P. Richard Maponya 1921-2020.
David Stern

The former longtime and greatest commissioner of the NBA, David Stern, passed away at 77 due to a brain hemorrhage. And it was on New Year's Day! Such a loss for the sports world. R.I.P. David Stern 1942-2020.
Kenny Rogers

Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Rogers was an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur. Over the course of his career, he became one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and is known for hits like "The Gambler" and "Islands... read more

His death, while peaceful, was a huge loss for the country and the general music industry. He was well-known for over 60 years and inspired many other country artists with his musical talents. He died of natural causes at 81. Many people live longer but remain healthy, while others, unfortunately, become ill sooner. R.I.P. to the Mr. Rogers of music 1939-2020.
Christopher Tolkien

The son and helper of J.R.R. Tolkien (known for The Lord of the Rings) passed away at 95.
R.I.P. Tolkien, 1925-2020.
Edd Byrnes

The legendary TV star from the '50s, known by many as Kookie (making him one of the greatest teenage stars of all time) and Vince Fontaine in Grease, Edd Byrnes, passed away at 86 due to a stroke. His stroke was rather unexpected. A major loss for television and movie entertainment in 2020. R.I.P. Edd Byrnes 1934-2020.
Najwa Qassim

Lebanese journalist and most famous television presenter in the Arab world, Najwa Qassim, passed away at 52 from an unexpected heart attack. This was a shocking loss for television in the Arab world. R.I.P. Najwa Qassim 1968-2020.

The Newcomers

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Brodie Lee

He wrestled for WWE under the name Luke Harper and with AEW under the name Brodie Lee. He died of lung problems. This was so shocking and came out of nowhere. R.I.P. Brodie Lee.
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Maggie Griffin

Kathy Griffin's mother had dementia, which came out of the blue, even though she had a sharp memory nearly all her life. Kathy may be totally crazy, but it's still shocking how her mother got it and died right on St. Patrick's Day - less than 3 months before turning 100.
R.I.P.

The Contenders

Terry Jones

Terence Graham Parry Jones was a Welsh actor, writer, comedian, screenwriter, and film director. He was a founding member of the Monty Python comedy troupe and co-directed several of their films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Jones was also a historian and author of children's books.

Terry Jones, known as a lead member of the Monty Python crew, who also had a YouTube channel with about 613,000 subscribers, passed away after battling a rare form of dementia at 77. R.I.P. Monty Python leader.

One of the founding members of Monty Python. RIP
Gianna Bryant

Kobe's 13-year-old daughter was also involved in the helicopter crash with her father. R.I.P. to her, her father, and the seven other occupants of the helicopter.

She was only 13 years old and had a great future ahead of her. She was already an excellent basketball player, and I wish I could have seen what she would have achieved in the WNBA.

The daughter of Kobe Bryant was also killed in the Southern California helicopter crash at only 13. What a truly horrible day for the Bryant family and sports in general. R.I.P. Gigi Bryant 2007-2020.
La Parka II

La Parka II, the famed wrestler of the AAA tournament, fell into a deadly accident at 54. A truly dark day and shocking death for wrestling in Mexico. R.I.P. La Parka 1966-2020.
Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Aaron Boseman (November 29, 1976 - August 28, 2020) was an American actor born in Anderson, South Carolina. He was best known for portraying T'Challa, also known as Black Panther, in several films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Boseman also earned acclaim for his roles in 42, Get on Up, and... read more

This was one of the most shocking deaths, along with Kobe and his daughter. What made it especially shocking was that he was the Black Panther, yet his four-year battle with cancer was never publicized and kept private throughout all the Black Panther films. He did many other films too. R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman.

He was the actor who played the Black Panther in its franchise. He lost his battle to colon cancer on August 28th after four years. This was much more shocking than Adam West's death in 2017 (who played Batman). R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman.

I just found out this morning, and this is so shocking. Praying for all his family and friends. R.I.P. Chadwick. Wakanda Forever.
George Floyd
Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. He was best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist, and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. He is widely recognized for pioneering guitar techniques... read more

All the way down here? Disappointing. I knew he had throat cancer, but I didn't know it would claim his life so quickly. So sad.

That was really sad when he died in 2020. It made me sad when I found out.
Naya Rivera

Naya Rivera Dorsey (January 12, 1987 - July 8, 2020) was an American actress, singer, and model. She was best known for portraying Santana Lopez on Fox's musical comedy-drama series Glee. Rivera began her career as a child actress and model, and she was the mother of her son, Josey Dorsey.

When I heard Naya Rivera was missing, I just started crying because I am such a fan of hers. I just wanted her to be okay. It's so sad that she is gone. She is missed and always will be. R.I.P. Naya.

I was extremely shocked to hear about this. She used the last of her strength to save her son, and that is one of the greatest sacrifices anyone could ever make. R.I.P. Naya.

She's smart, kind, caring, motherly, friendly, and purely talented. I can't believe Lea Michelle was very mean to her!
Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas (December 9, 1916 - February 5, 2020) was an American actor, filmmaker, author, and centenarian. He was among the last surviving stars of Hollywood's Golden Age of cinema.
Born into poverty to immigrant parents, Douglas had six sisters and overcame early hardships to achieve success... read more

Proof no one is immortal from the tragedy we call death.

The legendary screenwriter of Strange Love of Martha Ivers with Barbara Stanwyck and one of the last good people in Hollywood, Kirk Douglas, passed away at 103. He lived a long life. R.I.P. Kirk Douglas 1916-2020.
Alex Trebek

This is so sad and shocking. He will be missed. Jeopardy will not be the same without him hosting.

His last episode will be on Christmas Day!

Jeopardy is my favorite trivia show (sorry, Family Feud). You will be missed. RIP Alex Trebek.
Silvio Horta

The creator of Ugly Betty, Silvio Horta, committed suicide at 45. R.I.P.
Buck Henry

A comedy legend who was well-known and influential, won two Oscars, and was the screenwriter of The Graduate and What's Up, Doc?, passed away at 89 due to a heart attack. R.I.P. Buck Henry 1931-2020.
Pop Smoke

Bashar Barakah Jackson (July 20, 1999 - February 19, 2020), known professionally as Pop Smoke, was an American rapper. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, he rose to fame with the release of his 2019 singles "Welcome to the Party" and "Dior." He frequently collaborated with UK drill artists and... read more

Rapper Pop Smoke was shot to death in New York City on February 19th at only 20. This is reminiscent of XXXTentacion's and Nipsey Hussle's deaths, making it the most shocking death in music for 2020. R.I.P. Pop Smoke 2000-2020.
Hassan Hosny
Ragaa Al-Giddawy

She was a popular Egyptian actress who died from coronavirus. She caught the virus while giving her condolences at someone else's funeral. RIP
Caroline Flack

Caroline Louise Flack was an English television and radio presenter and model. Her career began with appearances on the sketch show Bo' Selecta! and later included hosting roles on The X Factor and Love Island. She tragically passed away in February 2020.

Where do I begin? She was the former host of Love Island and even helped revive it. She was an important figure and was treated badly during a trial involving Dan Wootton. She committed suicide at the age of 40. The most shocking death after Kobe and Gigi Bryant at that time. R.I.P. Caroline.

One of the most shocking deaths in 2020 since the Bryants. Caroline Flack was the top host of Love Island and even helped revive it. She was abused by Dan Wootton and committed suicide at 40. R.I.P. Caroline Flack.

Look what those nasty people put her through! Disgusting! Her suicide makes it even worse.