Remembering Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant: Tweets honoring icons lost are year's most-liked on Twitter

ByDanny Clemens OTRC logo
Monday, December 7, 2020
'Black Panther' star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Aug. 28 of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.

WASHINGTON -- 2020 was a year like no other, but it was the loss of two icons that brought Twitter users together over the last 12 months.

The official statement announcing the death of Chadwick Boseman in August and former President Barack Obama's condolences following the January death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna topped the list of the year's most-liked tweets released Monday as part of Twitter's year-end review.

Here's a look at five of the most-liked tweets of 2020:

Official statement remembering actor Chadwick Boseman

Boseman, known for his portrayal of T'Challa in "Black Panther," died of colon cancer in August. He was 43.

As of Dec. 7, this tweet is also the most-retweeted of the year and the most-liked of all time, according to Twitter.

Former Pres. Obama's condolences following the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna

Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships during his 20-year career, and his daughter Gianna were among several killed in a Jan. 26 helicopter crash outside Los Angeles.

Actor congratulates astronauts who were able to leave Earth

Milonakis' May 30 tweet came amid the COVID-19 pandemic and swelling protests against racial injustice following the death of George Floyd.

"Home Alone" star Macaulay Culkin reminds us just how old we are

Culkin, best known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in the "Home Alone" films, was born Aug. 26, 1980.

Kamala Harris, the year's most-tweeted-about woman, calls Joe Biden after projected 2020 election win

ABC News and other organizations projected a Biden-Harris win in the state of Pennsylvania on the morning of Saturday, Nov. 7, putting them over the threshold of 270 electoral votes needed to defeat incumbent President Donald Trump.

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Twitter's recap also included stats about some of the most-tweeted-about people, events, television shows and sporting events. The top 10 most-tweeted-about people include:

  1. Donald Trump
  2. Joe Biden
  3. George Floyd
  4. Kobe Bryant
  5. Barack Obama
  6. BTS
  7. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
  8. Kanye West
  9. Elon Musk
  10. Kamala Harris

News events continued to drive conversation on the platform, with #COVID19 and #BlackLivesMatter ranking as the top two most-tweeted hashtags in 2020. Twitter said users sent more than 700 million tweets about elections in the United States, India and other countries throughout the year.

Despite the loss and heartbreak of the year, Twitter said it saw a 20% lift in the amount of tweets expressing gratitude or thankfulness over the course of the year. The year saw more than 17 million tweets thanking frontline and essential workers and additional tweets thanking doctors and teachers.