The following deaths of notable individuals related to American television occurred in 2020.
January
Date Name Age Notability Source January 1 David Stern 77 Commissioner of the National Basketball Association from 1984 to 2014 who oversaw the launches of NBA TV and NBA League Pass. Barry ZeVan 82 American television weathercaster at Minneapolis–St. Paul stations KARE and KSTP-TV and Washington, D.C. station WJLA-TV January 3 Robert Blanche 57 American film and television actor best known as Patrick Bonanno on Leverage January 7 Silvio Horta 45 American film and television writer (co-creator of Ugly Betty; creator of Jake 2.0 and The Chronicle) January 8 Buck Henry 89 American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director (co-creator and writer for Get Smart, Captain Nice and Quark; regular on The New Steve Allen Show and That Was The Week That Was, recurring guest host on Saturday Night Live, guest roles in Murphy Brown and Will and Grace, and recurring roles on 30 Rock and Hot in Cleveland) Edd Byrnes 87 American actor/singer, best known for playing Kookie on 77 Sunset Strip January 9 Lan O'Kun 87 American screenwriter, playwright, lyricist and composer (Love, American Style, Apple's Way, Insight, Small Wonder, The Love Boat, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Highway to Heaven) January 10 Michael Greene 86 American actor (Wanted Dead or Alive, Cheyenne, The Dakotas, Batman, Gunsmoke, Kung Fu, The Dukes of Hazzard, Fantasy Island, The A-Team, All My Children, The Twilight Zone, The Fall Guy, The Colbys, LBJ: The Early Years, Quantum Leap, Hunter, Melrose Place, Baywatch) January 11 Stan Kirsch 51 American actor, screenwriter, director, and acting coach. Norma Michaels 95 American character actress (All My Children, One Life to Live, Santa Barbara, The King of Queens, Baywatch, Bewitched, Guiding Light, General Hospital) January 12 William Bogert 83 American 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 (and later on reprised the role for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign) January 15 Rocky Johnson 75 WWE Hall of Fame professional wrestler; father of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. January 18 Jack Van Impe 88 American televangelist, host of Jack Van Impe Presents January 19 Gene London 88 American children's show host and puppeteer at WCAU/Philadelphia, New York City stations WABD and WABC-TV, and NBC January 20 Len Goorian 100 Longtime producer and Hall of Fame broadcaster at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati January 22 Sonny Grosso 89 American film producer, television producer, and NYPD detective (A Family for Joe, True Blue, Top Cops, The Big Easy) January 23 Jim Lehrer 85 American television journalist (anchor of PBS NewsHour from 1975 to 2011 and co-creator of the program, moderator of twelve United States presidential debates from 1988 to 2012) Tyler Gwozdz 29 American entrepreneur and contestant on season 15 of The BacheloretteJanuary 25 Carleton Sheets 80 American real estate investor and infomercial pitchman January 26 Leo Fernández III 60 Puerto Rican reporter and paparazzo, worked at WKAQ-TV, WAPA-TV, WLII and WJPX Kobe Bryant 41 American Oscar-winning and Olympic Gold medalist basketball player (Los Angeles Lakers), author, producer, and documentarian. (Contributor for NBA TV programs and specials; guest appearances on General Hospital, All That, Sister, Sister and Ridiculousness; commercial work included Sprite, McDonald's, Nutella, Nike, and Nintendo) January 27 Jack Burns 86 American actor, comedian, writer, and voice actor (regular role as Deputy Sheriff Warren Ferguson on The Andy Griffith Show, voice roles as Ralph Kane in Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, and Sid the Squid in Animaniacs, co-host of The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour, writer for Hee Haw and The Muppet Show, co-writer/recurring regular on Fridays, guest hosted Saturday Night Live, and the voice of Larry, one half of the crash test dummies in the Ad Council's seat belt advertising campaign. January 28 Marj Dusay 83 American actress best known as the second Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light, Monica Warner on The Facts of Life, a co-starring role on All My Children, and a guest starring role as Kara in the Star Trek episode "Spock's Brain". January 30 Fred Silverman 82 American television executive with all of the Big Three television networks between 1963 and 1981 (vice president of CBS from 1970 to 1975, president of ABC from 1975 to 1978 and president of NBC from 1978 to 1981); 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 31 Anne Cox Chambers 100 American media proprietor (Cox Enterprises), daughter of James M. Cox
February
Date Name Age Notability Source February 3 Bob Griffin 85 Longtime Ark-La-Tex television sports and news anchor (KSLA, KTBS-TV) February 4 Gene Reynolds 96 Longtime television producer and director (M*A*S*H, Lou Grant)February 5Kevin Conway77American actor and film director Kirk Douglas 103 American actor (TV work includes guest spots on The Jack Benny Program, The Johnny Cash Show, Tales from the Crypt, The Simpsons, Touched by an Angel, and Saturday Night Live; and the television films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1973), Victory at Entebbe, Mousey, Draw!, Amos, Queenie, The Secret, Take Me Home Again, and Empire State Building Murders) February 7 Orson Bean 91 American actor, comedian, panelist, and activist (best known for his role in The Twilight Zone episode "Mr. Bevis", regular roles on Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman and Desperate Housewives, recurring roles in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and The Facts of Life, game show appearances include To Tell the Truth, Match Game, and Super Password, guest appearances include Superstore, Hot in Cleveland and Grace & Frankie) February 8 Robert Conrad 84 American 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. Paula Kelly 77 American actress, singer, dancer and choreographer February 10 Marge Redmond 95 American actress, notable for her role/narration as Sister Jacqueline on The Flying Nun and Sarah Tucker in several Cool Whip commercials. February 14 Lynn Cohen 86 American actress best known as Magda on Sex and the City and Judge Elizabeth Mizener on Law & OrderFebruary 16 Jason Davis 35 American actor best known as the voice of Mikey Blumberg on RecessKellye Nakahara72–73American actress, best known for playing Nurse Kealani Kellye in M*A*S*H February 17 Ja'Net DuBois 87 Actress 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 19 Bob Cobert 95 American composer (composed theme songs to Dark Shadows, Password, Blockbusters, Chain Reaction and many others) February 20 Sy Sperling 78 American consumer products executive, founder and spokesman of Hair Club February 22 B. Smith 70 American model, publisher, author, lifestyle designer, chef, and television personality (host of B. Smith With Style, and made two appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood) February 25 Lee Phillip Bell 91 American television producer (The Bold and the Beautiful, The Young and the Restless)
March Date Name Age Notability Source March 2 James Lipton 93 American actor, writer, and host of Inside the Actors Studio. Other television credits include The Simpsons, Arrested Development, and Glee; guest starring on The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, As the World Turns, and Guiding LightMarch 3 Bobbie Battista 67 Anchor for WRAL-TV/Raleigh, North Carolina, CNN, and HLN; host of CNN's TalkBack Live Roscoe Born 69 American actor and songwriter (One Life to Live, Santa Barbara, The Young and the Restless) March 6 Danny Tidwell 35 American jazz dancer; runner-up of the third season of So You Think You Can Dance March 9 Lorenzo Brino 21 American child actor (7th Heaven) March 13 Arch Deal 88 American television reporter at WFLA-TV, WLCY-TV and WTVT in the Tampa Bay area March 16 Stuart Whitman 92 American actor (starred in Cimarron Strip, guest starring in Loving, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital) March 17 Lyle Waggoner 84 American actor; announced The Carol Burnett Show from 1967 to 1974 and portrayed Steve Trevor on Wonder Woman; March 20 Kenny Rogers 81 American country music singer-songwriter and actor. Star of several television films including those based on his song "The Gambler"; guest appearances included Daniel Watkins on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Denny Byle on Touched by an Angel, and a Kindly Book Narrator on How I Met Your Mother March 24 Richard S. Kline 79 American game show producer (Break the Bank and Strike It Rich as sole producer; Win, Lose or Draw and 3rd Degree collaborating with Bert Convy, and several collaborations with Jack Barry) March 24 William Dufris 62 American actor (Bob the Builder) March 25 Mark Blum 69 American actor (Sweet Surrender, Mozart in the Jungle, You) March 26 Curly Neal 77 American basketball player and entertainer. Member of The Harlem Globetrotters (1963–85) during its tenure that included lending his voice to the Harlem Globetrotters and The Super Globetrotters cartoon series, appearing in The Harlem Globetrotters Popcorn Machine, and co-starring in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, among his credits. March 28 John Callahan 66 American actor (All My Children, Falcon Crest, Days of Our Lives) March 31 Julie Bennett 88 American actress, voice actress. (The Yogi Bear Show, McHale's Navy, Cattanooga Cats, Spider-Man) Best known as the voice of Hanna-Barbera's Cindy Bear on The Yogi Bear Show and its feature-film spin-off, Yogi's Treasure Hunt, Yogi and the Invasion of the Space Bears and The New Yogi Bear Show.
April