Another one bites the dust as the first-ever black US Secretary of State, US war hero, Colin Powell dies of COVID-19 complications. We look at 10 famous people who also died of the virus.
The retired four-star general and former head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who served four presidents drew his last breath on Monday, 17 October 2021, due to complications from COVID-19.
Born to Jamaican immigrants in 1937 and emerging as a US war hero with two tours in the Vietnam War, Colin Luther Powell was an example of how easily a good legacy can be dented. Powell received backlash in the early 2000s when he made a case for war in Iraq in 2003. That notwithstanding, his over six decades of service to the United States is one that won’t easily be forgotten.
Considering the progress made due to the outstanding efforts of scientists and the human race as a whole in the past year, one might be tempted to think the Coronavirus storm is nearly over, but one will be sorely mistaken. The virus which crept its way into our realm in late 2019 is still on a rampage and claiming lives.
As with every war, pestilence, or as in this case, pandemic, there must be casualties and survivors. In this article, we take a look at 10 of the world’s renowned people who have lost the battle to COVID-19.
1. Carol Sutton
Carol Joan Sutton was an American actress of theater, film, and television, best known for her appearances in the films Steel Magnolias, Monster’s Ball, and Ray. She starred in over 100 projects across film and TV in her active years. In the latter part of her life, she featured in HBO’s series Lovecraft Country. She died of complications of COVID-19 on 10 December 2020 at the age of 76.
2. Charlie Pride
Read more: Biography of English actress Erin Kellyman from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
American singer, guitarist, and pro baseball player, Charlie Frank Pride was regarded as one of the first Black performers to break into the country music scene. Charlie’s biggest success as a musician came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Records since Elvis Presley. At the pinnacle of his career, he had 52 top-10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 30 of which made it to number one. He won the Entertainer of the Year award at the Country Music Association Awards in 1971. Charlie died of complications from COVID-19 on 12 December 2020, just weeks after his final performance at the CMA Awards show back in November.
See a collection of his greatest hits here:
3. Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. The five-time Tony Awards winner is described as “the bard of American theater” and “one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced.” Terrence’s highly decorated six-decade career saw him receive the 2019 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement and an induction into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1996, amongst many other accolades. McNally died 24 March at age 81 from complications of the coronavirus.
4. Floyd Cardoz
Indian-born American chef Floyd Cardoz was renowned for the mastery of his art. He won Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and owned the New York City eatery Paowalla. Cardoz was also executive chef at Tabla, as well as the victor on Top Chef Masters Season 3 in 2011. His New York restaurants were known for food melding Indian flavors and spices with western cuisine. Not long before his passing, he appeared on the Netflix series Ugly Delicious. Cardoz returned from a visit to Mumbai in March and before admitting himself to a New York-area hospital after feeling feverish. He eventually died on 25 March 2021 as a result of complications from COVID-19.
