From Milkha Singh to Dilip Kumar to General Bipin Rawat and more: Icons who left us in 2021

The year 2021 has been extremely difficult with the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19 ravaging through the lives of ours and our loved ones. Although we braved a trail of deaths and destruction, some of the personalities who left a prominent mark on all of us, passed away this year, adding to our grief. Here’s a look at a bunch of icons who left us in 2021 and will be remembered for a lifetime. Larry King Larry King was a popular American TV and radio host who passed away on 21 January 2021. Known for his interviews on Larry King Live, a CNN chat show, the TV anchor rose to fame with a 1970s radio programme - The Larry King Show. Weeks ahead of his death, King had tested positive for COVID-19. He conducted more than 50,000 interviews throughout his career spanning over six decades. Also an established author, King penned nearly 70 books. He won several honours including two Peabody awards. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh passed away on 9 April at the age of 99. The longest serving royal consort in history died just two months short of his 100th birthday. Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II became the consort to the British monarch on her accession in February 1952. He  spent more than seven decades supporting his wife in her royal duties. Milkha Singh and Nirmal Milkha Singh Ace sprinter Milkha Singh breathed his last on 18 June at the age of 91. One of India’s first sports superstars, Singh was orphaned during the Partition. He overcame this childhood tragedy and established himself as the nation’s most celebrated athlete. Popularly termed as ‘Flying Sikh’, Singh was a four-time Asian Games gold medallist and 1958 Commonwealth Games champion. The legend sprinter’s greatest performance, however, remains the fourth-place finish in the 400m final of the 1960 Rome Olympics. Milkha Singh also represented India in the 1956 and 1964 Olympics. He was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 1959. Singh died just five days after his wife Nirmal Kaur had passed away. Kaur, a former national volleyball captain, was also a former director of sports for women in the Punjab government. She died at 85 years of age. Stan Swamy The jailed longtime tribal rights activist Stan Swamy died on 5 July 5 following a cardiac arrest. He was 84. Swamy, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease, had many a time requested bail on medical grounds. He was the oldest among the people accused of terrorism in the country. Swamy was arrested in October last year in Jharkhand after being charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. He was held along with 15 other activists and academics by the NIA over the 2018 Elgaar Parishad case. Dilip Kumar Bollywood icon Mohammed Yusuf Khan, popularly known as Dilip Kumar, breathed his last on 7 July,  following prolonged illness. He was 98. Hailed as the Tragedy King, Kumar offered us some  unforgettable performances in films such as Devdas and Mughal-e-Azam. One of Hindi cinema’s greatest legends, Kumar will be remembered for his expressive performances. ‘The First Khan’ of Bollywood was also awarded the Padma Vibhushan. Danish Siddiqui Danish Siddiqui, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist from Reuters, was killed in Afghanistan on 15 July . The 38-year-old was caught in the grip of violent clashes between Afghan security forces and the Taliban. A largely self-taught photographer, Siddiqui documented riots, wars and human suffering. He became a journalist after pursuing a Master’s degree in mass communications from Jamia Millia Islamia University. Siddiqui was part of a team which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for documenting the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar. Surekha Sikri Veteran actor Surekha Sikri died of a cardiac arrest on 16 July. The 76-year-old, also a National Award winner, was suffering from complications of two brain strokes. Over her career spanning four decades, Sikri delivered some of the finest performances not just in TV, but also in theatre and films. She will always be remembered for her flawless acting as Kalyani Devi in the popular television show, Balika Vadhu. She was last seen in the 2018 film Badhaai Ho, alongside Ayushmann Khurrana, Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao. Sidharth Shukla Model-turned-actor Sidharth Shukla died of a heart attack on 2 September, leaving his fans and followers in utter shock. Shukla established himself with his role in the popular television show, Balika Vadhu. He later rose to fame with his victory in the reality shows Bigg Boss 13 and Fear Factor 7. Shukla also hosted shows like India’s Got Talent and Savdhaan India. The 40-year-old actor had made his Bollywood debut in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Puneeth Rajkumar India lost another star, Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar, on 29 October. Popularly known as Appu, Rajkumar suffered a severe heart attack. He entered the film world as a kid and performed in 13 movies as a child artiste. Rajkumar was called the Kannada film industry’s ‘biggest contemporary star’ and perhaps the only South Indian actor to deliver 18 consecutive super hit films. CDS General Bipin Rawat and wife Madhulika Rawat India’s first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat died in a chopper crash near Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor. The shocking incident, which also left his wife Madhulika and 12 other defence personnel dead, took place on 8 December. Known for his fearlessness, the 63-year-old general had also served as the army chief from 2016 to 2019. He sternly backed policies to deal with militancy and cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. Born in Uttrakhand’s Pauri, General Rawat was an alumnus of the National Defence Academy. He was inducted into the 11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1978.