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Basketball fans were heartbroken to hear of the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash the morning of January 26. During his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers Bryant became one of the NBA's most popular players. He also won two gold medals at the summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012 as part of the U.S. national team. Bryant's daughter, Gianna was also killed in the crash, along with seven others. Bryant was 41.

On February 24, Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician passed away. Johnson's calculations of orbital mechanics were essential to the success of U.S. crewed spaceflights. Her work at NASA was represented in the 2016 biographical film "Hidden Figures," where she was portrayed by actress Taraji P. Henson. In 2015, Johnson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, and in 2019 she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Johnson was 101 at her time of death

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Also in February, the entertainment world lost actress Ja'Net DuBois. Remembered mainly for her role as Willona on the CBS comedy "Good Times," which aired from 1974-79, DuBois was also a Broadway actress and talented singer. DuBois died of cardiac arrest at her home in Glendale, California, She was 74.

Singer-songwriter and musician Bill Withers passed away on March 30. Withers was known for his smooth vocals, which were evident on his many hits, such as "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean on Me," and "Just the Two of Us." Withers won Grammy Awards for all three songs. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. He passed away due to heart complications in Los Angeles at age 81.

On July 17, Dr.Cordy Tindell Vivian, or C.T. Vivian passed away. Vivian was a well-known and outspoken civil rights activist. Vivian helped establish the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and helped to organize the first sit-ins in Nashville in 1960. In 1961, he participated in the Freedom Rides through the nation's south. Vivian died of natural causes just weeks before his 96th birthday.

On September 9, Ronald Bell passed away. Bell was a singer, songwriter, saxophonist, and co-founder of the Funk band Kool and the Gang. Bell, along with his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, were influenced by jazz music at an early age. Bell wrote many of the band's hits, including "Celebration" and "Jungle Boogie." Bell died at his home in the Virgin Islands. He was 68.

On October 11, retired Major League Baseball star Joe Morgan died. Morgan was second baseman for the Houston Astros, the Cincinnati Reds, and the San Francisco Giants, among others. Morgan played professional baseball from 1963 to 1984, and won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976. After his retirement from baseball, Morgan entered the world of sports broadcasting. Morgan died at his home in California at the age of 77.

ALEX TREBEK - Longtime Jeopardy host

On November 8, television game show host Alex Trebek passed away. Trebek hosted "Jeopardy" for 37 seasons, coming into the living rooms of millions of viewers each evening. In addition to hosting the TV game show, Trebek was active in charitable work and took part in USO Tours, visiting U.S. troops overseas. He also took a turn hosting the National Geographic Bee finals from 1989 to 2013. He won numerous awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In the spring of 2019, he revealed his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Trebek passed away at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 80.

John Robert Lewis, the son of sharecroppers who survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, to become a towering figure of the civil rights movement and a longtime US congressman. He was an American politician, statesman, and civil rights activist and leader who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. He was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee from 1963 to 1966.

He died at 80 years of age.