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30 Famous People Who Died From COVID

30 Famous People Who Died From COVID

As the world turns its attention to containing monkeypox, a rare disease caused by yet another viral infection, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc. Cases are surging again – but fortunately, the fatality rate has declined, thanks to vaccines, antiviral drugs, and growing communal immunity. (See how COVID fatality rates compare to those of other deadly diseases.)

The disease has taken a devastating toll, however. Almost 6.5 million people worldwide have died from complications of the coronavirus – more than a million of them in the U.S. Some of the victims were famous people, including- notable musicians, athletes, chefs, and politicians. (This is how many people have died from COVID-19 in each state.) 

To assemble a list of famous people who have died of COVID, 24/7 Tempo searched obituary listings in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and other news sources.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020 it has been known that COVID-19 disproportionately affects older people, who are more susceptible to the illness and are at greater risk of death. All but six of the famous people on the list were over 70 when they died, and four were in their 90s. In some cases, COVID-19 was not the sole cause of death but combined with comorbidities.

It should also be noted that a slight majority of people on this list died before the first COVID-19 vaccines became available in December 2020.   

Source: flyparade / iStock via Getty Images

Mike Longo
> Known as: Jazz pianist; musical director for Dizzy Gillespie
> Date of death: March 22, 2020
> Place of death: New York City
> Age at death: 83

Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Terrence McNally
> Known as: Tony-winning playwright (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”)
> Date of death: March 24, 2020
> Place of death: Sarasota, FL
> Age at death: 81

Source: Brian Ach / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Floyd Cardoz
> Known as: Chef (Tabla; Paowalla; Top Chef Masters winner)
> Date of death: March 25, 2020
> Place of death: Montclair, NJ
> Age at death: 59

Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Joe Diffie
> Known as: Country singer-songwriter (“Pickup Man”)
> Date of death: March 29, 2020
> Place of death: Nashville, TN
> Age at death: 61

Source: David Redfern / Redferns via Getty Images

Wallace Roney
> Known as: Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter
> Date of death: March 31, 2020
> Place of death: Paterson, NJ
> Age at death: 59

Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Adam Schlesinger
> Known as: Rock musician & songwriter (Fountains of Wayne)
> Date of death: April 1, 2020
> Place of death: Poughkeepsie, NY
> Age at death: 52

Source: Michael DeMocker / Getty Images

Ellis Marsalis Jr.
> Known as: Jazz pianist; father of Wynton, Branford, et al.
> Date of death: April 1, 2020
> Place of death: New Orleans, LA
> Age at death: 85

Source: Brian Ach / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

John “Bucky” Pizzarelli
> Known as: Jazz guitarist; band member on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”
> Date of death: April 1, 2020
> Place of death: Saddle River, NJ
> Age at death: 94

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Allen Garfield (Allen Goorwitz)
> Known as: Actor (“Nashville”)
> Date of death: April 7, 2020
> Place of death: Woodland Hills, CA
> Age at death: 80

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

John Prine
> Known as: Country-folk singer-songwriter (“Angel from Montgomery”)
> Date of death: April 7, 2020
> Place of death: Nashville, TN
> Age at death: 73

Source: upsand / Flickr

Lee Konitz
> Known as: Jazz saxophonist (“Birth of the Cool”)
> Date of death: April 15, 2020
> Place of death: New York City
> Age at death: 92

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Herman Cain
> Known as: Fast food executive; Tea Party activist; 2012 presidential candidate
> Date of death: July 30, 2020
> Place of death: Atlanta, GA
> Age at death: 74

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

Trini Lopez
> Known as: Singer & guitarist (“If I Had a Hammer”)
> Date of death: Aug. 11, 2020
> Place of death: Palm Springs, CA
> Age at death: 83

Source: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images Sport via Getty Images

Tom Seaver
> Known as: Legendary MLB pitcher (New York Mets, etc.)
> Date of death: Aug. 31, 2020
> Place of death: Calistoga, CA
> Age at death: 75

Source: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons

Fred Dean
> Known as: NFL star (2-time Super Bowl champion with San Francisco 49ers)
> Date of death: Oct. 14, 2020
> Place of death: Jackson, MS
> Age at death: 68

Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

Arnie Robinson Jr.
> Known as: Olympic gold medal-winning athlete
> Date of death: Dec. 1, 2020
> Place of death: San Diego, CA
> Age at death: 72

Source: Fox Photos / Hulton Archive via Getty Images

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing
> Known as: French politician; president of France (1974-1981)
> Date of death: Dec. 2, 2020
> Place of death: Authon, France
> Age at death: 94

Source: Rebecca Sapp / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Marc Meneau
> Known as: Former Michelin three-star chef (L’Espérance, Saint-Père-sous-Vézelay, France)
> Date of death: Dec. 9, 2020
> Place of death: Auxerre, France
> Age at death: 77

Source: Terry Wyatt / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Charley Pride
> Known as: Baseball player; pioneering Black country music star
> Date of death: Dec. 12, 2020
> Place of death: Dallas, TX
> Age at death: 86

Source: Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Dawn Wells
> Known as: Actress (Mary Ann on “Gilligan’s Island”)
> Date of death: Dec. 30, 2020
> Place of death: Los Angeles, CA
> Age at death: 82

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Roy Horn
> Known as: Magician; entertainer (Siegfried & Roy)
> Date of death: Jan. 13, 2021
> Place of death: Las Vegas, NV
> Age at death: 81

Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Michael Ochs Archives via Getty Images

Phil Spector
> Known as: Record producer (creator of “the Wall of Sound”)
> Date of death: Jan. 16, 2021
> Place of death: French Camp, CA
> Age at death: 81

Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Larry King
> Known as: Emmy-winning TV and radio host
> Date of death: Jan. 23, 2021
> Place of death: Los Angeles, CA
> Age at death: 87

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Cloris Leachman
> Known as: Emmy- and Oscar-winning actress (“The Last Picture Show”)
> Date of death: Jan. 27, 2021
> Place of death: Encinitas, CA
> Age at death: 94

Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images News via Getty Images

Colin Powell
> Known as: Four-star general; U.S. secretary of state & national security advisor
> Date of death: Oct. 18, 2021
> Place of death: Bethesda, MD
> Age at death: 84

Source: Marek Lazarski / Wikimedia Commons

Barry Harris
> Known as: Jazz pianist; 1989 NEA Jazz Master
> Date of death: Dec. 8, 2021
> Place of death: North Bergen, NJ
> Age at death: 91

Source: Elisabetta Villa / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

Ricardo Bofill
> Known as: Architect (Terminals 1 & 2, Barcelona-El Prat Airport; W Hotel, Barcelona)
> Date of death: Jan. 14, 2022
> Place of death: Barcelona
> Age at death: 82

Source: Andrew Toth / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images

André Leon Talley
> Known as: Fashion journalist & editor; stylist
> Date of death: Jan. 18, 2022
> Place of death: White Plains, NY
> Age at death: 73

Source: Keystone / Getty Images

Meat Loaf (Marchvin Lee Aday)
> Known as: Rock singer and actor (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”)
> Date of death: Jan. 20, 2022
> Place of death: Nashville, TN
> Age at death: 74

Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images

DJ Kay Slay (Ketih Grayson)
> Known as: Hip-hop DJ
> Date of death: April 17, 2022
> Place of death: New York City
> Age at death: 55

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