Steve Martaindale

One annual tradition that catches my eye every year is the review of what influential people died since the new calendar flipped over.

Like most of the year-in-review articles, this one comes out before the actual end of the year because, to be honest, news departments find them handy to fill slow news days during the holidays.

The Associated Press published its list before Christmas: “Final goodbye: Recalling influential people who died in 2020.”

It’s an impressive list, giving a nugget of information on each person. I recommend scrolling through it, but if you need a nudge, here are some I noticed:

Government

Hosni Mubarak, 91

Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, 100

William S. Sessions, 90

John Lewis, 80

Herman Cain, 74

Brent Scowcroft, 95

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87

David Dinkins, 93

Entertainment

Kirk Douglas, 103

Orson Bean, 91

Robert Conrad, 84

Max von Sydow, 90

Lyle Waggoner, 84

Kenny Rogers, 81

Bill Withers, 81

Ellis Marsaliss Jr., 85

John Prine, 73

Brian Dennehy, 81

Little Richard, 87

Jerry Stiller, 92

Ken Osmond, 76

Carl Reiner, 98

Hugh Downs, 99

Charlie Daniels, 83

Regis Philbin, 88

Olivia de Havilland, 104

Wilford Brimley, 85

Chadwick Boseman, 43

Diana Rigg, 82

Helen Reddy, 78

Mac Davis, 78

Eddie Van Halen, 65

Sean Connery, 90

Alex Trebek, 80

Dave Prowse, 85

Charley Pride, 86

Sports

David Stern, 77

Don Larsen, 90

Kobe Bryant, 41

Fred “Curly” Neal, 77

Tom Dempsey, 73

Don Shula, 90

Phyllis George, 70

Jerry Sloan, 78

Eddie Sutton, 84

John Thompson, 78

Tom Seaver, 75

Gale Sayers, 77

Bob Gibson, 84

Whitey Ford, 91

Joe Morgan, 77

Paul Hornung, 84

Rafer Johnson, 86

Literary

Jim Lehrer, 85

Mary Higgins Clark, 92

Clive Cussler, 88

Charles Webb, 81

Rudolfo Anaya, 82

Beyond Categories

Katherine Johnson, 101

Jack Welch, 84

The Rev. Darius L. Swann, 95

Christo, 84

Charles “Chuck” Yeager, 97