A sombre 2020 for entertainment world: Celebrities we have lost amid Covid

At 50, the filmmaker was battling with liver cirrhosis for the past two years. Kamat was known for directing Bollywood films like the Ajay Devgn-Tabu starrer "Drishyam", Irrfan Khan-starrer "Madaari" and the John Abraham films "Force" and "Rocky Handsome" among others. His Marathi films, "Dombivali Fast" and "Lai Bhaari" won critical and commercial success cutting language barriers. Beyond direction, Kamat also acted in several films including "Rocky Handsome", "Bhavesh Joshi" and Julie 2" and the Marathi film "Fugay".

Legendary classical vocalist, Padma Vibhushan recipient Pandit Jasraj passed away in the US at the age of 90. The news about his death was confirmed by his daughter Durga Jasraj. Born in 1930 in Haryana, the celebrated classical singer presented the Mewati Gharana to the global music connoisseur. With a career spanning 80 years, Pandit Jasraj's oeuvre ranged from the world stage to Indian film music.

Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey, better known by his stage name Jagdeep, passed away at 81, owing to age-related health problems. Jagdeep started his career as a child artiste in BR Chopra's 1951 release, "Afsana", starring Ashok Kumar, Veena and Pran. His comic role in the film was widely appreciated. His last-released film is "Masti Nahi Sasti" in 2017.

The veteran Bollywood choreographer passed away following a massive heart attack at the age of 71. Khan was fondly called Masterji in Bollywood, and she had choreographed over 2000 songs spanning over three and a half decades. Her most famous collaborations were with Madhuri Dixit ("Dhak karne laga") and Sridevi ("Hawa hawai") among many other hits. Her recent work includes "Tabaah ho gaye" from the 2019 film "Kalank", picturised on Madhuri.

Sushant's demise is the most controversial Indian celebrity death in years. What is known so far is that the 34-year-old actor was found dead at his residence in Mumbai. While Mumbai Police had concluded the case to be a suicide, a CBI probe has been ordered into the death on Wednesday by the Supreme Court. Sushant rose to fame as Manav Deshmukh in the TV series, "Pavitra Rishta". In 2013, he made a transition to the big screen with "Kai Po Che!" and was then seen in a string of films such as "Shuddh Desi Romance", "M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story", "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!", "Drive", "Kedarnath", "Chhichhore" and "Dil Bechara".

At 93, the legendary filmmaker passed away owing to age-related ailments. Chatterjee is considered among the pioneers of middle-of-the-road cinema from the seventies to the nineties. He is among the filmmakers who made the common man a hero of Hindi commercial cinema, shedding his larger-than-life aura. The nonagenarian is best known for films like "Rajnigandha", "Chitchor", "Khatta Meetha", "Priyatama", "Shaukeen" and "Chameli Ki Shaadi". His last directorial was the 1997 film, "Gudgudee".

Bollywood composer-singer Wajid Khan of the popular sibling composer duo Sajid-Wajid passed away on June 1. On June 5, his family informed that Wajid had died due to cardiac arrest. Sajid-Wajid, best known for their songs in the "Dabangg" films, recently composed a couple of songs for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan during the ongoing lockdown. The first, "Pyaar karona" was a pop anthem encouraging all to fight the coronavirus. The song released in April was sung by Salman and also featured the actor in the video. The other song, "Bhai bhai" released on Eid.

In 2018, the veteran actor was diagnosed with cancer for the first time, following which he was in New York for nearly a year to undergo treatment. He returned to India in September 2019. Post return to India, his health had frequently been in focus. The actor was admitted to hospital in quick succession in February. Amid speculations about his health, he had been hospitalised in New Delhi in early February, while on a visit to the city. Rishi Kapoor shot to fame playing a teen icon in his debut film "Bobby" and went on to carve his niche as a romantic icon in numerous hits of the seventies, eighties and the nineties. Over the past decade, he also impressed with negative roles in "Agneepath" and "D-Day".

Acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan was admitted to Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection. Irrfan carved an alternative route to success, defying traditional mainstream diktats in Bollywood. He was equally at ease in commercial entertainers as "Hindi Medium", "Angrezi Medium" and "Life In A Metro", as he did with more profound fare as "Maqbool", "Paan Singh Tomar" and "Qissa".