CHARLES PORTIS

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.

(Reuters) - Charles Portis, the reclusive Arkansas writer known for the classic Western novel True Grit and the wry humor that filled his works, died on Monday at the age of 86 after battling a long illness, the New York Times reported. Portis wrote five novels, numerous magazine articles and short stories and one stage play. Portis 1968 novel True Grit, which was serialized by the Saturday Evening Post, spent 22 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. But in a 1984 New York Times article, he spoke about his writing style - banging away at typewriter keys with two fingers. He was a reporter for the Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville and the Memphis Commercial Appeal, his family said.