Gone But Not Forgotten: The Notables We Lost in 2019
We lost some legends of their fields in 2019. Some were entertainers, some were politicians, and some were activists, but all will be missed. Here are the notables we lost this year.
John "Capt. Jack" Lyle
November 7, 1920 (?) - January 5, 2019
Cause of death: Complications related to prostate cancer
Claim to fame: War hero who served in World War II, one of the last surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen, helped integrate aviation in the military
Carol Channing
January 31, 1921 - January 15, 2019
Cause of death: Natural causes
Claim to fame: Broadway and film performer
Kristoff St. John
July 15, 1966 - Feb. 3, 2019
Cause of death: Heart disease
Claim to fame: Actor who portrayed the character Neil Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1991 to 2019
Karl Lagerfeld
September 10, 1933 - February 19, 2019
Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer
Claim to fame: Fashion designer of eponymous label, creative director of Fendi, transformer of Chanel, misognynist
Nipsey Hussle
August 15, 1985 - March 31, 2019
Cause of death: Fatal gunshot wound
Claim to fame: West Coast rapper and community activist
John Singleton
January 6, 1968 - April 28, 2019
Cause of death: Stroke
Claim to fame: Film director and pioneer known for Black storytelling
Bushwick Bill
December 8, 1966 - June 9, 2019
Cause of death: Pancreatic cancer
Claim to fame: Record producer and rapper who was one-third of the pioneering Texas Hip Hop group Geto Boys
Lt. Col. Robert Jones Friend
February 29, 1920 - June 21, 2019
Cause of death: Sepsis
Claim to fame: Last surviving member of the Tuskegee Airmen, served in World War II; Korean War; and Vietnam War
Toni Morrison
February 18, 1931 - August 5, 2019
Cause of death: Pneumonia
Claim to fame: Pulitzer Prize-winning author with a six decade long-career
Joan Johnson
October 16, 1929 - September 6, 2019
Cause of death: Long illness
Claim to fame: Co-founder of Johnson Products, one of the largest Black-owned companies in America
Diahann Carroll
July 17, 1935 - October 4, 2019
Cause of death: Breast cancer
Claim to fame: Tony Award-winning actor who broke barriers onstage and onscreen
Rep. Elijah Cummings
January 18, 1951 - October 17, 2019
Cause of death: Chronic health problems
Claim to fame: Civil rights activist who served the state of Maryland in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 until his death
John Witherspoon
January 27, 1942 - October 29, 2019
Cause of death: Heart attack
Claim to fame: Stand-up comic and actor who appeared in Friday and its sequels, The Wayans Bros., and The Boondocks
Ernest J. Gaines
January 15, 1933 - November 5, 2019
Cause of death: Natural causes
Claim to fame: Author of A Lesson Before Dying and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman
