Famous Veterans who died in 2020

Many of the celebrities we lost in 2020 first served in the U.S. military before they became famous. TV host extraordinaire Regis Philbin was famous for the number of hours he appeared on TV. He died at age 88. Not everyone knows that Regis enlisted in the navy after graduating from the University of Notre Dame and served as a supply corps officer between 1953 and 1955.

Movie star Kirk Douglas enlisted in the Navy in December 1941 during World War II and served as a communications officer until 1944. He was discharged after suffering injuries due to a premature depth charge in anti-submarine warfare aboard the USS PC-1139.

Carl Reiner, a pioneer of TV comedy and father of Rob Reiner, was drafted in 1942 and served during World War II. He died at 98.

Another TV legend, Hugh Downs was a World War II veteran who died this year at age 99.

We also lost Actor Brian Dennehy who served in the Marines from 1959-1963. He died in 2020 at age 81.

Movie and TV actor Wilford Brimley, known for his TV and movie roles including Cocoon and The Natural, dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Marines in 1953. He died in 2020 at age 85.

Nashville singer and songwriter John Prine died this year at 73. He was drafted and served in Germany as an Army mechanic. His song, Saigon, is about a Vietnam veteran traumatized by the war ("The static in my attic's gettin' ready to blow.”)

He Became Famous For His Military Flying Career

Then there is Chuck Yeager who died this year on December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. Unlike the others aforementioned, Chuck’s fame came from serving in the military. He was a flying ace, Air Force officer and test pilot who was the first confirmed to fly faster than the speed of sound.

Famous USO Entertainers who died in 2020

These two famous celebrities both died in 2020. They weren’t veterans but they volunteered with the USO. TV’s Jeopardy host Alex Trebek died at 80 from cancer and Olivia de Haviland, who portrayed Melanie in Gone With the Wind died at age 104. During World War II as part of the USO tour, Olivia visited hospitals and entertained troops in remote battlefronts of the South Pacific such as the Aleutian Islands. Alex volunteered for the USO for more than 39 years.