The world also said goodbye to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a lion of the civil rights movement who died in July. Other former political figures who died this year include Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, New York Mayor David Dinkins, Arizona Gov. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2020 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___David Stern, 77. The guitarist who supplied the scratching, seething sound that fueled the highly influential British punk band Gang of Four. He fused African rhythms with funk to become one of the most influential musicians in world dance music.

Playing a prominent role in American foreign policy, Scowcroft served as national security adviser to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, the only national security adviser to two different administrations. He served as national security adviser to Bush, by then a close friend, during the four years of the Bush administration, 1989-93. A year later he became deputy assistant for national security under Henry Kissinger, Nixons national security adviser. He accepted a return engagement as national security adviser when he realized he would be at the presidents side instead of running the massive bureaucracy at the Defense Department.