A year like no other began with the shock death of basketball star and Oscar-winner Kobe Bryant before a pandemic upended life as we knew it.
Here are some of the high-profile figures who said their final goodbyes over the last 12 months:
7. Caroline Flack
The Love Island host, 40, took her own life at her home in Stoke Newington, north-east London. An inquest into her death heard she was concerned about a forthcoming trial for assaulting her boyfriend, former tennis player and model Lewis Burton.
8. Kenny Rogers
The venerated country music star, known for his husky singing voice and hits such as Coward Of The County and The Gambler, died aged 81 from natural causes. His collaborator and long-time friend Dolly Parton paid an emotional tribute and said: “I loved Kenny with all my heart. And my heart’s broken. A big old chunk of it has gone with him today.”
9. Bill Withers
The soul singer, whose hits included Lean On Me, Lovely Day and Ain’t No Sunshine, died from heart complications aged 81. Beach Boys star Brian Wilson remembered him as a “songwriter’s songwriter”.
10. Honor Blackman
Perhaps the most famous Bond girl ever, Blackman played the provocatively named Pussy Galore alongside Sir Sean in Goldfinger. After her death at 94, Blackman, also known for TV roles in The Avengers and The Upper Hand, was hailed a “film icon”.
11. Tim Brooke-Taylor
The Goodies star Brooke-Taylor died aged 79 after contracting coronavirus.
Tributes flooded in from across the entertainment world and Bill Oddie, his former comedy partner, described him as a “true visual comic and a great friend”.
12. Eddie Large
The comedian, who delighted audiences for decades as part of his Little And Large partnership with Syd Little, died at the age of 78 after contracting coronavirus while being treated for heart failure in hospital. Little said he was “devastated”.