New Delhi: The year 2021 made us bid goodbye to many influential people around the world from Colin Powell to Desmond Tutu and many others from the field of arts and entertainment to politics. As this year comes to a close, let's take a moment to remember some of the legends.
1. Larry King (November 19, 1933 - January 23, 2021): Host of the popular American television talk show, ‘the Larry King show” Larry had started his career as a local journalist. He hosted a bunch of television shows and made a name for himself in Hollywood. The popular talk show host succumbed to Covid-19.
2. Millie Hughes-Fulford (December 21, 1945 - February 9, 2021): The first female payload specialist to fly in space for NASA breathed her last after a years-long battle with cancer. Hughes was selected in 1983 and 1991 by NASA for its astronaut programme where she and her other crewmates spent 9 days in orbit on the shuttle Columbia.
3. Christopher Plummer (December 13, 1929 - February 5, 2021): The Canadian Oscar award-winning actor died at the age of 91 at his home in Connecticut. He played the role of Captain von Trapp in the film “The Sound of Music” and became the oldest actor to win an Academy Award at the age of 82.
4. Prince Philip (June 10, 1921 - April 9, 2021): The Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II passed away on April 9. Originally from Danish and Greek families, Phillip was the nephew of Louis Mountbatten, who was the governor-general of India during the time of independence.
5. Michael Collins (October 31, 1930 - April 28, 2021): The Apollo 11 astronaut who orbited the moon alone succumbed to cancer. While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made the historic moon landing, Collins orbited alone.
6. Maki Kaji (October 8, 1951 - August 10, 2021): The Japanese businessman who created the popular number puzzle sudoku died due to bile duct cancer. Known as the “Godfather of Sudoku”, Kaji was the chief executive of his puzzle company Nikoli Co.
7. Abdul Qadeer Khan (April 1, 1936 - October 10, 2021): Known as the father of the nuclear bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan died of Covid-19 after a prolonged illness.
8. Umar Sharif (April 19, 1960 - October 2, 2021): The beloved Pakistani comedian who was equally liked by Indians, Umar Sharif was suffering from heart and kidney illness. An actor, director, and producer, Sharif was known for his satire and shows like ‘The Shareef Show’ and ‘Bakra Qiston Pe’.
9. Colin Powell (April 5, 1937 - October 18, 2021): A veteran of the Vietnam War and a diplomat, Powell passed away due to Covid-19 complications. His reputation was stained after he made faulty claims to justify the 2003 US war in Iraq.
10. Joan Didion (December 5, 1934 - December 23, 2021): The American author and essayist breathed her last at the age of 87. Her precise social and personal commentary on classics such as “The White Album” and “The Year of Magical Thinking” made her a uniquely clear-eyed critic of turbulent times.
11. Desmond Tutu (October 7, 1931 - December 26, 2021): The South African anti-apartheid icon breathed his last at the age of 90 in Cape Town. A Nobel laureate is known for his anti-apartheid activism, Tutu succumbed to prostate cancer.