2020 hasn't been a great year for most of us — mostly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The global showbiz industry wasn't spared from a dramatic year, with many celebrity deaths, scandals, miscarriages, divorces, and ugly break-ups. Even some happy events like weddings and birthday celebrations end up being in the news for the wrong reasons. 

There were over 20 prominent celebrity deaths this year alone, and some of them were especially shocking because of the circumstances of their demise.

Famous people we lost in 2020

Alien Huang

Perhaps one of the most shocking deaths in 2020, Taiwanese singer-actor-host Alien Huang was found dead at home by his father in September.

While there were initial speculations of his death being a freak accident, an autopsy later revealed that he had died from cardiovascular complications due to an aortic dissection.

After his death, Alien's secret girlfriend Qun Qun revealed their relationship, and over 100 celebrities — including his high school girlfriend Rainie Yang, Jam Hsiao, and Aaron Yan — performed 21 songs to pay tribute to him.

Affectionately known by his Chinese stage name Xiao Gui (Little Ghost), the 36-year-old had close ties to Singapore, starring in local shows Already Famous (2011) and Joys Of Life (2012).

Hana Kimura

22-year-old professional wrestler Hana Kimura was found dead at home, along with a suicide note in early May. Officials believed that she likely mixed chemical agents and created a toxic gas.

Before her death, Hana claimed that she had been cyberbullied over her appearance in the reality show Terrace House. Her mother also alleged producers made her look like a bad person.

Following her death, Terrace House was cancelled and the Japanese government announced its plans to revise legislation against cyberbullying. A man was also brought to court for posting abusive messages to Hana.

Haruma Miura

Just two months after Hana's death, Japanese actor Haruma Miura hung himself in a closet at home.

Even though friends claimed that Hamura, 30, showed no signs of being suicidal, an undated suicide note was discovered in his room, where he expressed anxiety and thoughts about dying.

Five months after his death, he was reportedly still not laid to rest due to his parents fighting over his $1.28 million inheritance. The award-winning actor was known for his roles in Koizora (2007) and Attack On Titan (2015).

Chadwick Boseman

Chadwick Boseman died in August this year following a secret battle with colon cancer.

The 43-year-old Black Panther star, who played the main role of King T'Challa, died at home with his family by his side.

It was only after his death that his diagnosis was made public, with his family stating on his social media accounts: "Chadwick was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last four years as it progressed to stage four."

Kobe Bryant

National Basketball Association (NBA) legend Kobe Bryant died early this year in a tragic helicopter crash.

The 41-year-old five-time NBA champion was with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others when the accident happened. They were on their way to Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy in California, where he was reportedly to coach her team in a tournament.

Both father and daughter were buried near their family home in a private ceremony.

Serena Liu

After undergoing a heart valve repair surgery, Taiwan's "queen of ballroom dancing" Serena Liu fell into a coma in February. Her heart reportedly stopped beating during the surgery and she had to be put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or Ecmo.

She subsequently died on March 22 while waiting for a heart transplant at age 44. In a statement released by the hospital, it was revealed that her death was due to high intracranial pressure.

She left behind a four-year-old daughter with her husband, singer Shin Lung. "She can do without a father but she cannot be without her mother," Shin wrote on Facebook prior to her death.

Stanley Ho

Macau gambling king Stanley Ho, one of Asia's richest men, died at age 98 this year. The tycoon had four wives and 17 known children (one was revealed after his death), and left behind an enormous inheritance estimated at US$6.4 billion (S$8.5 billion) — which his family members are fighting over.

Just 11 days after his death, his youngest daughter from his first marriage filed a caveat, registering interest in his estate. Following that, his nephew and two other children filed caveats as well.

Ho's privately held company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), has stakes in everything from luxury hotels to helicopters and horse racing. His funeral service was held on July 10.

Luo Pei-ying

Taiwanese host Luo Pei-ying's body was discovered at home two days after her death. The 59-year-old was found unresponsive in bed by her friend after being uncontactable over a few days.

Police found unknown medication in her home and there were no apparent signs of injury. A blood test subsequently revealed her cause of death to be an accidental overdose from heart and antidepressant medications.

Pei-ying, also known by her stage name Luo Bi-ling, had been in the entertainment industry for nearly 40 years.

Celeb miscarriages

The showbiz tragedies this year also included several miscarriages.

Lee Teng and Gina Lin

Earlier this year, local TV host Lee Teng announced his wife Gina Lin's pregnancy. Not too long after, the couple revealed that Lin had miscarried when she returned to Taiwan to prepare for birth.

"He came quietly, and left quietly. Gina and I are deeply saddened by the loss, especially Gina as a mother," Lee Teng, 37, wrote in his Instagram post.

He confessed last month that he felt "powerless and helpless" as he was in Singapore when it happened and he could not immediately rush to her side after the ordeal.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

While the British royal family has never been one to disclose too much of their personal affairs, Meghan Markle, who is married to Prince Harry, revealed in an opinion piece last month that she miscarried in July.

"I knew, as I clutched my firstborn child, that I was losing my second," the former actress wrote, noting that the incident took place when she was caring for her son Archie.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from royal duties and moved to the United States this year.

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend

American model Chrissy Teigen and her husband, singer John Legend suffered a devastating loss of their third child in September.

Even though the 34-year-old star was rushed to the hospital and underwent two blood transfusions, she miscarried.

She wrote on Instagram: "We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we've never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn't enough."

Christina Perri and Paul Costabile

Singer-songwriter Christina Perri suffered not one but two miscarriages in just this year alone.

"We are shocked and completely heartbroken," she wrote in a tweet, speaking of her first loss in January when she was 11 weeks pregnant.

The 34-year-old, who is married to reporter Paul Costabile, got pregnant again late this year but shared the heartbreaking news that her daughter was "born silent", weeks after she was hospitalised with pregnancy complications.

Henry Golding and Liv Lo

While Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding and his wife Liv Lo are happy to share news of her pregnancy last month, Liv shared on Instagram recently that she had miscarried at the start of the year.

In the 10th week of her pregnancy, she was told that her baby did not have a heartbeat and had left this world. Henry was filming in Tokyo at that time and she had to process the loss on her own.

"All I needed was a big hug after the procedure, but having to wait a week to travel across the world to catch up to each other was pretty traumatic for me," she wrote in a blog post.

trining@asiaone.com

For more original AsiaOne articles, visit here.