As the calendar turns to a new year and COVID remains as deadly today as the pandemic’s start nearly two years ago, the National Newspaper Publishers Association pauses to remember the icons who said goodbye in 2021.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire

From the stunning death of Supremes co-founder and Black Press friend Mary Wilson to the loss of DMX, Colin Powell, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 2021 featured some of the saddest and most unexpected farewells.

“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes,” Berry Gordy, Motown Records’ founder, remarked.

“The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown.’ Along with Diana Ross and Florence Ballard, Mary came to Motown in the early 1960s. After an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits, television, and nightclub bookings, they opened doors for themselves, the other Motown acts, and many, many others. … I was always proud of Mary. She was quite a star in her own right and over the years continued to work hard to boost the legacy of the Supremes. Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva, and will be deeply missed.”

Two months after Wilson’s death, hip-hop icon DMX died in New York at 50. DMX, whose real name was Earl Simmons, banged out hits like “Party Up in Here,” and “X Gon’ Give It to Ya,” also starred in the groundbreaking movie, “Belly,” which featured the iconic scene where Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., saves his character’s life. Dr. Chavis is the president and CEO of the NNPA. Simmons also made his mark in films like “Exit Wounds,” “Cradle 2 the Grave,” and “Romeo Must Die.”

“Earl was a warrior who fought till the very end,” read a family statement. “He loved his family with all of his heart, and we cherish the times we spent with him. Earl’s music inspired countless fans across the world, and his iconic legacy will live on forever. We appreciate all of the love and support during this incredibly difficult time. Please respect our privacy as we grieve the loss of our brother, father, uncle, and the man the world knew as DMX.”

Music, entertainment, sports, and the business world lost heroes and icons in 2021. While we sincerely apologize if we missed anyone in this report, the following count among the deaths that made headlines.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu reacts during a press conference held to congratulate U.S. President Barack Obama in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, Oct. 9, 2009. President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision designed to encourage his initiatives to reduce nuclear arms, ease tensions with the Muslim world and stress diplomacy and cooperation rather than unilateralism. He died December 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam)
Rap singer Biz Markie performs for fans during halftime of the Denver Nuggets’ 105-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns in an NBA basketball game in Denver on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
DMX performs during the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta on Oct. 1, 2011. The family of rapper DMX says he has died on April 9, 2021, after a career in which he delivered iconic hip-hop songs such as “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this Saturday, July 30, 2016, file photo, Michael Kenneth Williams, a cast member in the HBO series “The Night Of,” poses for a portrait during the 2016 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Williams, who played the beloved character Omar Little on “The Wire,” has died. New York City police say Williams was found dead Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, at his apartment in Brooklyn. He was 54. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
In this Feb. 6, 2005 file photo, Bunny Wailer performs at the One Love concert to celebrate Bob Marley’s 60th birthday, in Kingston, Jamaica. Wailer, a reggae luminary who was the last surviving original member of the legendary group The Wailers, died on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, in his native Jamaica, according to his manager. He was 73. (AP Photo/Collin Reid, File)
In this Feb. 25, 2008, file photo, Greg “Shock G” Jacobs, leader for Digital Underground, performs The Humpty Dance during a halftime appearance in the Detroit Pistons’ NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Denver. Shock G, who blended whimsical wordplay with reverence for ’70s funk as leader of the off-kilter hip-hop group Digital Underground, has died. He was 57. Nzazi Malonga, a longtime friend who served as head of security and helped manage the group, said the rapper-producer was found unresponsive Thursday, April 22, 2021, in a hotel room in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
In this Feb. 15, 1978, file photo, the fist of challenger Leon Spinks flattens the nose of heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali during their title fight at Las Vegas. Former heavyweight champion Leon Spinks Jr. died Friday night, Feb. 5, 2021, after battling prostate and other cancers. He was 67. (AP Photo)
Lee Elder watches the flight of his ball as he tees off in the first round of play at the Masters in Augusta, Ga., in this April 10, 1975, file photo. Elder broke down racial barriers as the first Black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow. The PGA Tour confirmed Elder’s death, which was first reported by Debert Cook of African American Golfers Digest. No cause or details were immediately available, but the tour said it spoke with Elder’s family. He was 87. (AP Photo)
Professor and Opera Singer Carmen Balthrop. She died September 5, 2021.
This March 14, 2011 file photo, shows Lloyd Price appears backstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, in New York. The New Orleans mainstay and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has died. Price was known for such hits as “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and “Stagger Lee.” His wife Jackie said he died Monday, May 3, 2021 in New Rochelle, N.Y. (AP Photo)
Gotham Tribute Honors recipient, filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles attends the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008, in New York. Van Peebles, a Broadway playwright, musician and movie director whose work ushered in the “blaxploitation” films of the 1970s, has died at age 89. His family said in a statement that Van Peebles died Tuesday night, Sept. 21, 2021, at his home. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
In This Jan. 27, 1998 file photo, Vernon Jordan, long-time confidant of President Clinton, leaves his home in Washington. Jordan, who rose from humble beginnings in the segregated South to become a champion of civil rights before reinventing himself as a Washington insider and corporate influencer, died Tuesday, March 2, 2021, according to a statement from his daughter. He was 85. (AP Photo/Khue Bui)
Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves holds up the playing shirt of his former teammate, Eddie Mathews after Braves officials announced that the number will be retired now that Mathews has been traded to Houston, Jan. 19, 1967, Atlanta, Ga. Mathews was not present when his number was retired on Thursday by William C. Bartholomay, chairman of the Braves board of directors. He died January 22, 2021.(AP Photo/Charles Kelly)
bell hooks in 2009. She was born September 25, 1952, in Hopkinsville, KY
and died on December 15, 2021
Clarence Williams III, who starred as Linc Hayes in the TV series “The Mod Squad,” appears at an anniversary event for ABC’s law enforcement theme shows on Jan. 4, 1978 in Los Angeles. Williams died Friday, June 4, 2021 at his home in Los Angeles after a battle with colon cancer. He was 81. (AP Photo/Wally Fong)
Secretary of State Colin Powell looks on as President Bush addresses State Department employees, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001 at the State Department in Washington. He died on October 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Kenneth Lambert)
Elgin Baylor waves as he is honored along with other members of the 1974 Los Angeles Lakers Championship team, at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Lakers in Los Angeles, April 6, 2012. Elgin Baylor, the Lakers’ 11-time NBA All-Star, died, March 22, 2021, of natural causes. He was 86. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)
In this May 28, 1974 file photo, Cicely Tyson poses with her Emmy statuettes at the annual Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Tyson won for her role in “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” for actress of the year, special, and best lead actress in a television drama for a special program. Tyson was born on December 1924 in Harlem, New York, NY
and died on January 28, 2021. (AP Photo)
Actor Yaphet Kotto appears on his wedding day in Baltimore, Md. on July 12, 1998. Kotto, the commanding actor of the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” and as Lt. Al Giardello on the 90’s NBC police drama “Homicide: Life on the Street, died Monday, March 15, 2021 at age 81. Kotto’s wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death Monday in a Facebook post. She said he died Monday in the Philippines. Kotto’s agent, Ryan Goldhar, confirmed Kotto’s death. (AP Photo/John Gillis)
In this Aug. 18, 1982, file photo, John Chaney speaks during a news conference at Temple University in Philadelphia, the day after being named their NCAA college basketball head coach. John Chaney, one of the nation’s leading Black coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame basketball career at Temple, has died. He was 89. His death was announced by the university Friday, Jan. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/A. Schnell)
In this Nov. 7, 2014 file photo, George Brown, Ronald Bell, Dennis Thomas and Robert ‘Kool’ Bell of Kool and the Gang arrive during the 2014 Soul Train Awards at the Orleans Arena at The Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Thomas, a founding member of the long-running soul-funk band Kool & the Gang, has died. Thomas died peacefully in his sleep Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021 in New Jersey, where he was a resident of Montclair.(Photo by Omar Vega/Invision/AP)
In this November 1983 file photo, Marvin Hagler celebrates his unanimous-decision victory over Roberto Duran in a boxing bout in Las Vegas. Hagler, the middleweight boxing great whose title reign and career ended with a split-decision loss to “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1987, died Saturday, March 13, 2021. He was 66. (AP Photo)
In this June 21, 1964, file photo, Minnesota Twins pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant poses. Grant, the first Black 20-game winner in the major leagues and a key part of Minnesota’s first World Series team in 1965, has died, the Twins announced Saturday, June 12, 2021. He was 85. (AP Photo/Gene Herrick)
In this June 5, 1983, file photo, Dianne Durham, right, of Gary, Ind., gives autographs after winning the women’s title at the McDonald’s U.S.A. Gymnastic Championships at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Durham, the first Black woman to win a USA Gymnastics national championship, died on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021, She was 52. (AP Photo/Lisa Genesen)

• Actor Michael K. Williams
• Actor & Director Melvin Van Peebles
• Producer Chucky Thompson
• Gen. Colin Powell
• Bishop Desmond Tutu
• Baseball Legend Hank Aaron
• Basketball Legend Elgin Baylor
• College Basketball Coaching Legend John Chaney
• Golf Legend Lee Elder
• Boxing Legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler
• Hip Hop Artist Greg “Shock G” Jacobs, leader for Digital Underground
• Actor Yaphet Kotto
• Hip Hop Star, Actor Biz Markie
• Comedian Paul Mooney
• Singer Lloyd Price
• Boxer Leon Spinks
• Singer Dennis Thomas, Kool & the Gang co-founder
• Actress Cicely Tyson
• Musician Bunny Wailer, founding member of The Wailers and collaborator of Bob Marley’s
• Actor Clarence Williams III
• Baseball Legend Jim “Mudcat” Grant
• Olympic Champion Dianne Durham
• Civil Rights Worker, Lawyer Vernon Jordan
• Writer Eloise Greenfield
• Professor and Opera Singer Carmen Balthrop
• Trailblazing Black feminist Bell Hooks