2020 deaths in American television


The following deaths of notable individuals related to American television occurred in 2020.

January

DateNameAgeNotabilitySource
January 1David Stern77Commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2014 who oversaw the launches of NBA TV and NBA League Pass.
January 1Barry ZeVan82American television weathercaster at Minneapolis–St. Paul stations KARE and KSTP-TV and Washington, D.C. station WJLA-TV
January 3Robert Blanche57American film and television actor best known as Patrick Bonanno on Leverage
January 7Silvio Horta45American film and television writer
January 8Buck Henry89American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director
January 8Edd Byrnes87American actor/singer, best known for playing Kookie on 77 Sunset Strip
January 9Lan O'Kun87American screenwriter, playwright, lyricist and composer
January 10Michael Greene86American actor
January 11Stan Kirsch51American actor, screenwriter, director, and acting coach.
January 11Norma Michaels95American character actress
January 12William Bogert83American actor, best known for his semi-regular role as Brandon Brindle on Small Wonder, Kent Wallace from Chappelle's Shows Frontline spoofs, William Bellamy in Centennial, and the "Confessions of a Republican" ad for Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 U.S. presidential election
January 15Rocky Johnson75WWE Hall of Fame professional wrestler; father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
January 18Jack Van Impe88American televangelist, host of Jack Van Impe Presents
January 19Gene London88American children's show host and puppeteer at WCAU/Philadelphia, New York City stations WABD and WABC-TV, and NBC
January 20Len Goorian100Longtime producer and Hall of Fame broadcaster at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati
January 22Sonny Grosso89American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective
January 23Jim Lehrer85American television journalist
January 23Tyler Gwozdz29American entrepreneur and contestant on season 15 of The Bachelorette
January 25Carleton Sheets80American real estate investor and infomercial pitchman
January 26Leo Fernández III60Puerto Rican reporter and paparazzo, worked at WKAQ-TV, WAPA-TV, WLII and WJPX
January 26Kobe Bryant41American Oscar-winning and Olympic Gold medalist basketball player, author, producer, and documentarian.
January 27Jack Burns86American actor, comedian, writer, and voice actor ; founder of The Fred Silverman Company. Also producer on Scooby-Doo, The Waltons, Charlie's Angels, Rich Man, Poor Man, Roots, and Shōgun, and executive producer of Matlock.
January 31Anne Cox Chambers100American media proprietor, daughter of James M. Cox

February

DateNameAgeNotabilitySource
February 3Bob Griffin85Longtime Ark-La-Tex television sports and news anchor
February 4Gene Reynolds96Longtime television producer and director
February 5Kevin Conway77American actor and film director
February 5Kirk Douglas103American actor
February 7Orson Bean91American actor, comedian, panelist, and activist
February 8Robert Conrad84American actor best known as James T. West in The Wild Wild West and Tom Lopaka on Hawaiian Eye. Also starred on The D.A., Assignment Vienna, Centennial, and Baa Baa Black Sheep.
February 8Paula Kelly77American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer
February 10Marge Redmond95American actress, notable for her role/narration as Sister Jacqueline on The Flying Nun and Sarah Tucker in several Cool Whip commercials.
February 14Lynn Cohen86American actress best known as Magda on Sex and the City and Judge Elizabeth Mizener on Law & Order
February 16Jason Davis35American actor best known as the voice of Mikey Blumberg on Recess
February 16Kellye Nakahara72–73American actress, best known for playing Nurse Kealani Kellye in M*A*S*H
February 17Ja'Net DuBois87Actress best known as Willona Woods on Good Times, Florence Avery on The PJs, and Grandma Ellington on The Wayans Bros. Also sang The Jeffersons theme song.
February 19Bob Cobert95American composer
February 20Sy Sperling78American consumer products executive, founder and spokesman of Hair Club
February 22B. Smith70American model, publisher, author, lifestyle designer, chef, and television personality
February 25Lee Phillip Bell91American television producer

June

October