We’re not going to lie, 2025 was a tough year, as we lost many of the Black legends we knew and loved. Now, as 2026 gets underway, we must say goodbye to even more of those who had such a tremendous impact on the culture. Although they are gone, they will never be forgotten.
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From actors to athletes, to politicians and more, we’re honoring the Black legends we lost in 2026.
Claudette Colvin
Civil rights activist Claudette Colvin passed away on Jan. 13, 2026, in Texas. On March 2, 1955, a then-15-year-old Colvin was arrested for refusing a driver’s order to give up her seat for a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama – nine months before Rosa Parks’s similar refusal led to the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
In 2021, Colvin was vindicated when an Alabama judge expunged Colvin’s juvenile court records for “what has since been recognized as a courageous act on her behalf and on behalf of a community of affected people.”
Claudette Colvin was 86 years old.
T.K. Carter
Actor T.K. Carter was found dead in his California home on Jan. 9. The New York City native got his start in standup, but was best known for his roles in the hit 1980s sitcom “Punky Brewster” and the 1982 horror film “The Thing.” He was 69 years old.
Elle Simone Scott
Chef, author and food stylist Elle Simone Scott passed away on Jan. 5 at age 49 after a battle with ovarian cancer. Scott made history in 2016 when she became the first Black woman to join the cast of the popular PBS cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen.”
Chef Carla Hall shared a touching tribute to Scott on Instagram, calling her “a friend, a force and a trailblazer.”
“She didn’t just test recipes; she changed what representation looked like in food media,” Hall wrote.
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