According to the most recent Istat data relating to less than a month ago, in this year that is about to end in Italy there have been over 700 deaths. To find such important numbers you have to go back to 1944. 2020 will be remembered as the year of the Coronavirus but also as a year of death. In this count there are thousands of unknown people of equal dignity. But the near end of this 2020 cannot fail to bring us to remember a long list of famous people, not only Italians, who have left us in the last twelve months. Well-known and well-known faces, movie stars and sports personalities, great musicians and writers of international fame, artists from the most diverse fields. Iconic figures from the world of entertainment and culture. Among the many famous people who have left, not only because of the Coronavirus, we remember some names, among the best known.
For the first two extraordinary Italian musicians. Ennio Morricone, the great author of soundtracks that have made the history of cinema, passed away on 6 July. His unforgettable music will accompany us forever. And he left us too Ezio Bosso, two months earlier, on May 15th, when he was only 48 years old. Pianist and conductor who had been living with a serious disabling illness for years. Despite this, he continued to play, communicate and convey the beauty of music as a whole. A much loved Italian actress also left us, Franca Valeri. She died on July 31, shortly after she turned one hundred. The unforgettable Sora Cecioni but also Miss Snob. And the great one left unexpectedly Gigi Proietti, last November 2, just the day of the dead. Actor, stand-up comedian, voice actor, comedian, director, singer…. an artist at 360 degrees.
And, on the subject of actresses, how can we forget Olivia DeHavilland, one of the protagonists of the very famous Gone with the Wind, perhaps the most famous and the most revived film in the history of cinema. Sweet Melania from Gone with the Wind died at 104 on July 26. A few months earlier, on February 5th, another great actor had already left us, Kirk Douglas, father of Michael. Star of classic films like Spartacus, legendary actor and producer, he too was over a hundred years old, he was 103 years old. Still an Italian actress, Lucia Bose, great protagonist of the cinema discovered by Luchino Visconti. She died of Coronavirus in Segovia, Spain, where she married the bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguin in the XNUMXs. The Scottish actor Sean Connery he left us on October 31st. A half-century-long film career, unforgettable 007, had played Friar Guglielmo in the film The Name of the Rose. This year the actress also died at the age of 63 Patricia Millardet, famous in Italy for having interpreted, among other things, the role of judge Silvia Conti in "The octopus".
Important famous names from the world of sports. Among all, the "Pibe de Oro" of world football Diego Armando Maradona, Argentine, who died prematurely at the age of 60 on 25 November. Football giant with extraordinary talent. His name will remain inextricably linked to the city of Naples. Another personality, a completely different style, always a very talented footballer: two weeks after Maradona's death he also left us Paolo Rossi, the national Pablito, champion of the 1982 World Cup in Spain. In that tournament, scoring six goals and winning the title of top scorer, led the Italian team to become world champion. At the beginning of the year, on January 27, he also died Kobe Bryant, legendary NBA and Los Angeles Lakers player. He was the victim of a helicopter crash on his way to basketball training.
The world of culture has also lost some notable personalities. On 2 September he left us Philippe Davenport, art historian, popularizer, essayist. Known to the general public for participating in many television programs and for having conducted the successful Passepartout strip on Rai 3. Alberto arbasino, a long intellectual career as a novelist, poet, essayist, passed away on March 22 last year, "Writer of great quality, innovative novelist, man of multifaceted culture", as President Sergio Mattarella recalled him. The Chilean writer also left us last April Luis Sepulveda, killed by Covid-19. Who does not remember her Story of a seagull and the cat that taught her to fly, a beautiful and meaningful fairy tale that has become a very successful book.
This year he also died Carlos Luis Zafon, one of the most widely read Spanish writers in the world, was only 55 years old. His Shadow of the Wind was a worldwide commercial success. Farewell to the creator of Asterix too, Albert Uderzo, French cartoonist son of Italian parents. And to this long list we must also add the designer kenzo takada, also killed by the Coronavirus. He was the first Japanese designer to settle in Paris where he had achieved international fame in the world of fashion. Speaking of fashion, he also died, just in these days, George Gucci. He was 92 years old and was one of the five grandchildren of the founder of the historic Florentine Maison. Who does not remember the floating bridge on Lake Iseo, it was 2016, the unique temporary art installation by Christo? Christo also left us in this dramatic 2020.
